


Favorite Accident

by Gingerwerk



Category: The Pacific - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, gross amounts of fluff, should be illegal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-01-08 13:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 45,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1133355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingerwerk/pseuds/Gingerwerk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eugene Sledge’s and Merriell Shelton’s friendship began with a collision and neither boy's life was ever the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Drabble-verse I created for fun, semi-easy writing
> 
> The chapters in this story will be based off of one word prompts and will be mostly Sledge/Snafu related but there may be chapters in the future that are not so Sledgefu-centered.

 

* * *

Eugene Sledge’s and Merriell Shelton’s friendship began with a collision.

 

Eugene was lost in a map of the new college campus as he tried to find his way to the specific café he was supposed to meet his best friend at. He glanced down again at the map when he slammed into what felt like a brick wall and fell to the ground with a hard thump. He looked up at what he had run into and found that it was not a wall or a poll, but a lean, young man with tan skin, unruly curls, and a sneer of a smile.

 

“Watch where you’re going, idiot,” the man drawled before he stepped over Eugene and continued on his way in the opposite direction.

 

Eugene stayed on the ground for a long moment and watched the back of the man disappear. It was something he wasn’t quite used to; rudeness. Sure, there were rude people back home in Alabama, but he had also been raised, as his mother proudly declared to anyone who would listen, as a polite, southern gentleman.

 

Shaking off the interaction, Eugene got up from the ground and hurried in the direction he thought was right; he’d be late at this rate for lunch with his best friend from home, Sidney. When Eugene recounted the incident to Sidney, his friend laughed at him and told him that he ought to pay attention to where he was going.

 

“Yeah, it was my fault but he could have helped me up instead of walking over me,” Eugene mumbled into his sandwich while feeling mildly embarrassed.

 

“Gotta realize not everyone’s as polite as you, Eugene,” Sidney teased.

 

“Oh shut up, you greaser,” Eugene said as he reached across the table and shoved his friend’s arm.

 

The two friends stopped talking about the incident, but for whatever reason, Eugene couldn’t stop thinking about it. There was just something about the interaction that stumped him and he didn’t know why.

 

 _Forget about it_ , Eugene told himself hours later as he walked into his dorm building and up the stairwell that led to his floor. _School this big? You’ll never see him again._

 

However, as fate would have it, as Eugene walked down the fourth floor hallway towards his room, someone bumped quite purposely into his shoulder. When he turned and looked to see who had bumped into him, he found himself looking at a similar sneer of a smile, pale eyes, tan skin, and messy, dark curls.

 

“Watch where you’re going,” he sneered again with a knowing grin.

 

Eugene stopped and watched at the boy walked confidently down the hallway and into one of the dorm rooms at the end of the hallway. For a moment, Eugene was set to return to his room and relax but after another moment of consideration, he moved down the hallway towards the room the boy had disappeared into. When he glanced inside the room, he found the young man sitting on the window sill, window thrown open, with a lit cigarette between his lips. He stared at Eugene for a long moment before he held out the crumpled pack of cigarettes.

 

“I don’t smoke,” Eugene said.

 

“Well how about you close the door behind you before the R.A. comes by and bitches at me for smokin’,” he mumbled around his cigarette.

 

For a moment, Eugene considered ducking out of the room but in a split second decision he took a step forward and shut the door behind him. He pressed his back against the door which caused another thump for added emphasis. The young man stared with his pale eyes for a long, silent moment, before a wide smile pulled at his mouth and he let out a small chuckle.

 

“I’m Eugene,” Eugene said, still pressed against the door. “Eugene Sledge.”

 

“…Snafu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sporadic updates to be expected, kudos/comments are much appreciated


	2. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month of living at school, Eugene’s weekday mornings had a strict routine to them that he followed to the minute.

* * *

 

After a month of living at school, Eugene’s weekday mornings had a strict routine to them that he followed to the minute.

 

6:30: Wake up.

 

His alarm was piercing and god-awful and he wanted to curse the person who created the shrieking noise. Eugene also wanted to curse whoever thought eight o’clock in the morning classes were a good idea. He glared at Sidney’s form underneath his blankets; lucky bastard somehow managed to not start classes until noon. Eugene resisted the urge to kick Sidney’s mattress as he walked by the bed and grabbed his shower caddy and a towel before he left the dorm room. The only thing good about being up this early in the morning was that the usually loud floor was dead quiet for once.

 

6:35: Bathroom

 

Like everything else in the dorm before sunup, the bathroom was quiet and empty. This allowed Eugene to pick the best shower out of the five in the bathroom; two of showers had notoriously bad water pressure and another stopped using hot water after about five minutes.

 

6:50: Get dressed

 

Sidney grumbled under his mound of blankets as Eugene dug through his closet for his shoes but Eugene didn’t feel bad for his friend, who would be sleeping for at least three more hours. He tossed one of his flip flops at his friend’s form before he loaded up his backpack with his needed books and left the room.

 

6:55: Wake up Snafu

 

It was a task that Eugene had begrudgingly accepted. On the first day of classes, Eugene realized that his new friend Snafu was in his eight o’clock psychology lecture and by the start of the next week, he realized the only lecture Snafu had attended had been the first one. When Sledge questioned Snafu about it, his friend claimed he wouldn’t ‘drag his ass out of bed at the ass crack of dawn for a damn lecture’. Eugene asked Snafu’s roommate, a stocky guy with brown hair and grey eyes who Snafu called Burgie, if Snafu ever made it to class before noon. Burgie informed Sledge that no, Snafu didn’t attend lecture before noon, mainly because he went to bed at approximately four in the morning. Determined to not let his friend fail out of school, Eugene took it upon himself to become Snafu’s personal alarm clock.

 

Snafu and Burgie never locked their room, so Eugene walked right into the dark and messy room, not caring how loud he was being; his roommate, Burgie, was in the ROTC program, so he had been long gone for PT even this early in the morning. Eugene walked over to the windows and quickly pulled back the shades and curtains so that the early morning light could trickle into the room. Snafu let out a loud, low groan as he rolled over in his bed, determined to escape the light.

 

“Come on, Snaf, 6:58, time to get up, get some breakfast, and get to class,” Eugene said loudly as he clapped his hands for added emphasis.

 

“Get the fuck outta here, Sledge,” Snafu growled as he buried himself deeper into his blankets.

 

“Not until you’re following behind me, dressed and ready for class,” Eugene sighed as he went about the motions of replacing certain books in Snafu’s backpack for the correct ones he need for today; sometimes Eugene got teased for knowing Snafu’s class schedule but he didn’t mind, no matter how many times Bill Leyden yelled _‘Gay’_ at him in a teasing tone.

 

“Quit fucking babysitting me, Sledge, I can get to class on my own,” Snafu continued to growl and groan.

 

“I might let you be if I believed that for a single moment,” Eugene said before he glanced at his watch. “Come on, 7:02, time to get dressed.”

 

“Class starts at eight, asshole, why are you waking me up so early?” Snafu hissed.

 

“You need breakfast, coffee more specifically,” Eugene insisted before he walked closer to the bed, gripped onto the comforter tightly, and pulled.

 

Snafu let out an animalistic growl when Eugene tossed the comforter to the other side of the room but he didn’t react the way he had before; after a month into the task Eugene realized Snafu was more bark than bite.

 

Snafu sat up and glared sleepily at Eugene; he looked very much like a grumpy puppy that had been woken up from a nap. Snafu’s curly hair was mashed on one side of his head and stuck straight out on the other side. He was only dressed in a pair of boxers and one lone sock and the pissed-off expression probably would have stricken fear into some people but to Eugene, it was oddly endearing.

 

Eugene turned away from the sight with a grin before he walked to Snafu’s dresser and began to pull out pieces of clothing. He tossed a pair of jeans, new socks, and a t-shirt at the disgruntled young man and dug in his closet for his shower caddy without checking to see if Snafu was getting dressed or not; Eugene knew he was.

 

“Snaf, where’s your toothbrush?” Eugene asked as he looked over his shoulder and watched in a moment of amusement as his friend got stuck in his slightly too-small t-shirt. “Do you need someone to help dress you?”

 

“Fuck off.”

 

“But seriously, where is you’re toothbrush?”

 

“Fuck if I know,” Snafu grumbled as he tugged off his old sock and pulled on the fresher pair of socks. “What’s so fucking important about a toothbrush?”

 

“It keeps your teeth clean,” Eugene said deadpan.

 

“Isn’t that what dentists are for?”

 

“Dentists are there to make sure you’re properly takin’ care of them and to fix them if you aren’t, Snaf.”

 

“Yeah well, no matter how well I take care of my teeth they’re gonna fucking stab me in the gums and claim it’s because I don’t floss so what the fuck ever,” Snafu grunted as he shoved his feet into his tennis shoes. “I’ll just chew some gum. That works well enough.”

 

“Your teeth are going to rot,” Eugene warned as Snafu walked over to him and picked up his backpack from where Eugene had set on his desk.

 

Snafu stopped in front of Eugene and gave him a bright, if not extremely sarcastic, white, toothy smile.

 

“I think I’m doin’ okay with the gum, Sledge,” Snafu said cheekily before he gave the red head a shove towards the door. “C’mon, you’re treating me to breakfast.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sporadic updates to be expected, kudos/comments are much appreciated


	3. Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snafu walks in on Eugene and catches him doing something unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the Kudos and Comments :)

* * *

“Whoa, Sledge, since when have you been a pill-popper?”

 

Eugene looked up from where he sat at his desk and found Snafu standing in the doorway. It was a common occurrence, Snafu barged into the room regardless if the door was closed or not, so Eugene wasn’t surprised to find him there. He was a little flustered that he had caught him at that moment but he tried to act calm about it.

 

 _Probably was bound to find out eventually_ , Eugene thought wearily as he lifted his water bottle to his mouth and swallowed the large, chalky pill.

 

“I’m not a pill-popper, Snafu,” Eugene said tiredly as he secured the cap on the prescription bottle that sat on his desk.

 

“Well then what the hell are you doing because ya kinda just looked like you popped some pills there,” Snafu said as he closed the door behind him and sat down on the edge of Eugene’s bed. “I mean, I’m not one to judge, your life, Sledge, just curious. Didn’t exactly expect it from you.”

 

“I’m not some addict, Shelton,” Eugene reiterated with a roll of his eyes as he turned to look at Snafu. He lifted up the orange pill bottle and held it up so that Snafu could see his name printed clearly on the label. “It’s a prescription.”

 

“How come I’ve never seen you take it before?”

 

Eugene had only had to take his prescription one other time since he started school. However, he thought that Snafu might have seen the pill bottle at least once or twice, rattling around in the bottom of his book bad or sitting on his desk, but apparently not because Snafu probably would have mentioned it.

 

“I don’t have to take them all the time,” Eugene answered with a shrug. “Just when I need them.”

 

“Well why do you need to take them?” Snafu asked before he paused and shook his head. “Ya know what? Never mind. Not my fucking business.”

 

“It’s okay,” Eugene said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I have this heart condition. I was born with it. Sometimes my heart kinda acts up and I need to take some medicine. No big deal.”

 

“I know I’m not that good at biology but last time I checked your heart was kinda important, Sledge,” Snafu said slowly. “It sounds like a little more than no big deal if you ask me.”

 

“It’s under control,” Sledge said. “I always carry my medicine with me and if my heart ever acts up I just need to take one pill and I’ll be fine.”

 

“Well… what happens if you don’t have your medicine?” Snafu asked after pause. “What happens then?”

 

“I guess my heart would stop working eventually,” Eugene said with a shrug, as if they were talking about classes instead of the possibility that Eugene could drop dead any second. “But I always have my medicine. And it doesn’t happen that often.” As if to prove the point, he raised the nearly full pill bottle. “In the past year I’ve only had to take like, five pills. I’ve never run out before.”

 

“So does your heart just like, freak out all of a sudden or is it triggered by somethin’?” Snafu asked curiously.

 

“My dad’s a doctor and he said that there really wasn’t any way to predict it but my mom still never let me get too active because she worried it might make my heart freak out,” Eugene said.

 

“So you could _literally_ drop _dead_ , _any_ second now.”

 

“Well not this second. I have my medicine right here,” Eugene sighed as he rubbed his temple.

 

“But what if your medicine just stopped working?” Snafu asked as he leaned back onto Sledge’s bed. “Ya know, shit happens. Your body builds an immunity or somethin’ to it. Fucking get an attack and then you meds don’t work and you’re fuckin’ _dead_.” Snafu paused for a long moment before he let a grin crawl slowly across his face. “Ya know, if I were you, I’d live every moment like it was my last. Gamble, go to parties, have fun… maybe make a little extra scratch sell extra pills to some crazy druggies. Not go to school. Fuck that shit.”

 

“Well, I think it’s good that you don’t have a heart condition,” Eugene said as he shook his head at his friend.

 

“Just do me a favor and don’t die on me Sledge,” Snafu teased. “I don’t know if my poor heart could take it if ya did.”

 

“Fuck off, Shelton.”


	4. Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a Saturday night and by some coincidence Snafu had managed to get his hands on two large bottles of whisky.

* * *

“C’mon, Sledgehamma’,” Snafu slurred as he rocked slightly from his seat on the ground. “You barely drank at all. Drinking by myself makes me look like an alcoholic. You don’t want to put that on me, do ya?”

 

It was a Saturday night and by some coincidence Snafu had managed to get his hands on two large bottles of whisky. Sidney was out for the night with his current girlfriend, Gwen, which left Eugene’s room unoccupied and open for underage drinking. Snafu’s roommate, Burgie, had stopped by earlier in the night but had left a while ago with claims of having plans with his own girlfriend, Florence. Bill Leyden, a guy from their floor that Eugene got along with well and who was in his finance class but got under Snafu’s skin, had been around earlier too. But after they had worked their way through the first bottle, Bill and Snafu had begun to piss each other too much for either one to handle and Bill left. Now it was nearing three in the morning and they were down the half of a bottle of whisky. Eugene had stopped drinking about an hour ago and focused instead on gorging himself on stale Cheetos and Gatorade while they watched some old movie on Netflix.

 

“You’re not drinking by yourself, I’m here keeping you company,” Eugene said as spun his closed Gatorade bottle around on the floor absentmindedly.

 

“No offense but you’re shit company, being all sober an’ shit,” Snafu slurred as he leaned unsteadily towards Eugene. Eugene reached out and caught Snafu before his drunken momentum propelled him into the shitty carpet of the dorm room floor.

 

“If I were shit company I would have let you face plant,” Eugene said as he steadied Snafu and propped him back up against Eugene’s bed. Eugene watched as Snafu shrugged and down the last bit of whisky that was in his glass. When Snafu went to grab the bottle again for a refill, Eugene asked, “Why don’t you just quit now? You seemed pretty trashed as it is.”

 

“But I’m so close to the finish line,” Snafu said as he held up the bottle. “Why stop this close to the end?”

 

“Because apparently the finish line in this scenario is you puking for an hour and I am not taking care of that,” Sledge said with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Ya know, if you helped me, we’d be done with the bottle much faster,” Snafu said wisely as he refilled his glass. He looked up at Eugene with glassy pale eyes and smirked cockily before he held out the cup to Eugene. “Ya gonna help me out, Sledgehamma’ or what?”

 

Sighing, Eugene accepted the glass and ignored Snafu’s drunken grin as he filled another glass for himself. Eugene really didn’t want to drink anymore but he knew his friend wouldn’t stop because he told him to and Eugene also knew that regardless of what he said, he would take care of Snafu if he got sick later. Once Snafu had his own glass, he raised it to Eugene and smiled.

 

“Cheers.”

 

“Cheers,” Eugene repeated as he tapped his plastic cup with Snafu’s before he brought the cup to his mouth and tipped a mouthful of it back. The liquid burned in his mouth and he had the desire to spit it out for a second before he forced himself to swallow; it burned on the way down. Eugene turned to look at Snafu and saw the odd expression on his face. “What?”

 

“You don’t drink whisky that much, do ya?”

 

“I don’t drink much period,” Eugene admitted before he let out a deep breath. He stared at the amber liquid at the bottom of his cup for a fraction of second before he tipped that back as well. Once the burn subsided, he winced and held out the empty cup to Snafu, who stared in mild confusion. “Refill, Snaf.”

 

“Look whose ready to party now,” he teased as he grabbed the cup and refilled it.

 

“I’m not trying to party,” Eugene snorted. “I’m trying to help you finish this so that you’ll quit and we can all just go to sleep.”

 

“Passed your bedtime?”

 

“It’s passed three in the morning and some people have things to do tomorrow besides sleep until four.”

 

“Drinking this fast the only thing you gonna be doing tomorrow _is_ sleepin’ till four,” Snafu giggled as he refilled his own glass and knocked it back.

 

“Nah, maybe since we’re splitting the last half I’ll only be in bed until two,” Eugene shrugged as he took another drink. Eugene winced again and forced out a harsh breath before he turned to look at Snafu. “Yeah, that’s starting to hit me now.”

 

Snafu laughed long and loudly at this statement; to his drunken mind it was the funniest damn sentence ever uttered. When he wouldn’t stop, Eugene gave him a firm shove that sent the giggling drunk onto his side.

 

“Shut up, Snafu, it wasn’t that funny,” Eugene said with a slight slur in his voice.

 

“You have like, two shots and you get drunk,” Snafu teased as he pushed himself into and unsteady sitting position with his face rather close to Eugene’s. “That’s kinda funny, Sledgehamma’.”

 

“It’s not like that was my first drink of the night. I’m not _that_ much of a lightweight,” Eugene said as he gave Snafu another shove and forced his friend onto his back. Eugene leaned over Snafu and grinned down at him victoriously as he reached over him for the almost empty whisky bottle. Still sitting over his friend, Eugene uncapped the bottle and took a long pull straight from the bottle. Feeling buzzed and hot from the alcohol that pumped through his body, Eugene grinned down at Snafu’s dopey grin and laughed.

 

“What’re you laughin’ at, Sledgehamma’?” Snafu slurred as he stretched out slightly underneath Eugene.

 

“You’re about to pass out,” Eugene giggled as his elbow began to shake under his own weight.

 

“Nuh uh. I’m just takin’ a break,” Snafu mumbled before he reached up and snagged the bottle from Eugene. He propped himself up onto an elbow, bringing his face within inches of Eugene’s, and took a long drink from the bottle while his eyes locked with Eugene. There was a long pause where the only noise came from the forgotten movie and neither man blinked. Finally, Snafu smirked and tilted the bottle towards Eugene. “You good or…?”

 

“One more,” Eugene concedes. As he took the bottle from Snafu’s grip their fingers brushed and for whatever reason Eugene almost dropped the bottle but Snafu managed to catch the bottle. “Sorry.”

 

“Butterfingers,” Snafu teased before he took the bottle away from Eugene’s reach and took another sip. “You’ve had enough if you can’t even hold a freakin’ bottle.”

 

“I’m not nearly that drunk,” Eugene sighed as he pulled the bottle from his friend’s slack grip. He brought the bottle to his lips and drained it of the last of the alcohol.

 

“Hey! Who said you could have the last of it?” Snafu fumed as Eugene tossed the empty bottle to the other side of the room, not caring where it landed.

 

“What are you gonna do about it, Shelton?” Eugene slurred before he felt his elbow give out and he collapsed on top of Snafu.

 

“Ugh! Damn, Sledge, for a skinny little ginger, you’re heavy!” Snafu whined as he wiggled under Eugene’s weight.

 

“And you’re a shitty pillow,” Eugene mumbled into Snafu’s warm stomach as his heavy eyelids covered his eyes. “Pillows don’ talk.” Eugene dragged a heavy hand to his mouth and pressed a finger to general area of his mouth. “ _Sssshhhhhh._ ”

 

Snafu watched for a moment as the hand dropped from Eugene’s mouth to his chest where it rested there as a pleasant, warm weight. Snafu rubbed his tired eyes before he reached out and gave a sharp pull to Eugene’s bedspread, which caused a blanket and a pillow to rain down on top of them. Eugene let out a whine but didn’t move. Snafu grabbed the pillow and shoved it under his head before he did his best to drape the comforter over their bodies.

 

“Night, Eugene,” Snafu yawned as he closed his eyes.

 

Snafu felt the hand on his chest tighten as Eugene nuzzled his stomach slightly before he heard a tired and muffled, “Night, Snaf.” After that, there was nothing but soft snores.


	5. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the list of awkward things Eugene had experienced over the span of his eighteen years, he guessed that waking up to cuddling with your best friend would probably rank at a number five on the list.

* * *

On the list of awkward things Eugene had experienced over the span of his eighteen years, he guessed that waking up to cuddling with your best friend would probably rank at a number five on the list; not quite as bad as when he was pantsed in the middle of gym class in third grade but worse than when he tripped and fell on his face on the way to the front of the class to do a presentation in tenth grade.

 

He had the foggy memory of him collapsing on top of Snafu and then using his stomach as a pillow, but Eugene had hoped it had just been a dream. However, when Eugene woke up, curled into Snafu’s side while he used his chest as a pillow, it seemed impossible for that fuzzy memory to be anything besides real. Eugene guessed it could be worse; he was warm and relatively comfortable, with Snafu’s arm wrapped loosing around his waist and his comforter pulled up to his shoulders, despite his hangover.

 

Eugene’s head pounded and his mouth was dry and was starving but also felt as if he might be sick if he moved too much. He tested his hangover by moving his head but found that the sudden movement not only caused a sharp pain to form, but also hit him with a mild wave of nausea. He groaned as he dropped his face back onto Snafu’s chest.

 

“Oof!” Snafu wheezed as Eugene’s head smacked against his chest. “Damn, Sledge, watch where you’re landing.”

 

“Sorry,” Eugene mumbled as yawned and stretched his body.

 

“Hmm, I just knew you were a fucking cuddler, Gene,” Snafu drawled with a lazy grin on his face.

 

“Didn’t peg you for one,” Eugene mumbled while he took note of the fact the Snafu’s arm was still wrapped soundly around his waist. “Didn’t think you were so sappy.”

 

“It’s not me, it’s the booze,” Snafu declared as he yawned and groaned as the same time.

 

Eugene allowed himself to stay pressed up against Snafu for another long moment before he pushed himself up onto wobbling elbows and leaned against the side of his bed. He glanced down at Snafu, who looked up him with a calm expression, and waited for the wave of awkwardness to hit him. However, the more they sat in silence, the less weird this felt; the only thing that got worse with time seemed to be his hangover; the light that trickled in from the gap in-between the curtains felt like what thought getting an icepick to the brain might feel like.

 

“So… what do you want to do now?” Eugene asked tiredly as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands.

“How about breakfast?” Snafu asked as he glanced at the time on his cellphone. “It’s only noon. Food hall’ll be serving brunch until two.”

 

Eugene stared at Snafu for a long moment before he shrugged.

 

“Sure, why not.”

 

Eugene slowly pushed himself into a standing position and grabbed Snafu’s hand when he raised it and helped him to his feet. The two boys shoved on their shoes and pulled on their jackets before the walked out of the dorm. Once in the stairwell, Eugene reached out and clapped Snafu on his shoulder.

 

“By the way, you’re paying for breakfast.”

 

“Oh, so you cuddle me and now I have to get you breakfast too?” Snafu asked with a straight face.

 

“I’m not that easy, Shelton. You at least have to buy my breakfast,” Eugene joked.

 

“Gee, why’d I have to hook up with someone as classy as you, Sledge?”

 

“You’re just lucky that way.”

 

Shoving and teasing each other on the way down to the food hall, Eugene figured that maybe, oddly enough, this wasn’t all that awkward of an experience, but now, instead of awkward, Eugene categorized it under confusing. He wasn’t sure if that was better or not.


	6. Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Eugene?”
> 
> “My dog died.”

* * *

Eugene stared at his cellphone in his hand. He felt numb. No, not quite. He felt as if he was thawing. The initial shock had evaporated and he began to feel the pain and sadness that came with the news. His heart beat erratically, his stomach turned, he felt a cold sweat begin to break out on his back, and his eyes began to itch with tears that wanted to fall. Eugene let out a deep breath and tried to swallow the thick lump in his throat but it just wouldn’t disappear.

 

“Dammit,” Eugene growled quietly.

 

He hunched over his knees and braced his elbows on his knees. He stared at the shitty, trampled carpeting of his dorm room while he held his cell phone loosely in between his thin fingers. Eugene didn’t know how long he sat there, while his mother’s gentle and sympathetic voice echoed through his head.

 

“Eugene?”

 

Eugene heard his voice, how unusually uncertain and soft it was, heard his oddly tentative footsteps, but he didn’t look up. He waited until Snafu’s shoes came into his line of sight before he spoke.

 

“My dog died.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Snafu took a step and sat down next to Eugene, so close that from shoulder to foot they were a solid line.

 

“Sorry,” Snafu apologized.

 

“He was a good dog,” Eugene sighed while he brought his head up, mostly so that the collecting tears in his eyes wouldn’t fall out due to gravity.

 

“How old was it?”

 

“Nine… ten years old,” Eugene answered as he stared forward blankly. He let out a harsh breath and let his head fall again.

 

Eugene felt more than saw Snafu shift awkwardly next to him. His friend tilted his head down closer to Eugene before he spoke in the same unusually soft tone of voice as before.

 

“They say that, what, dogs live seven years to every one of ours?”

 

Eugene knew that Snafu was trying to cheer him up and cheering up was not one of the things that Snafu Shelton did, no, Snafu teased and prodded and pissed a person off more than he would cheer a person up, but he was too numb at the moment to fully appreciate the gesture. When Eugene didn’t respond yet again, Snafu pulled his arm from between their bodies and looped it around his shoulders. His hand was a comforting, warm weight on his shoulder and suddenly, Eugene felt exhausted. He was tired and his dog was dead and his asshole of a best friend was actually being comforting and Eugene didn’t know what else to do besides turn into Shelton’s side and bury his head into his neck. Snafu tensed for a long moment before he relaxed and tightened his grip on Eugene. When Eugene felt his eyes burn with tears, he wrapped his arms around Snafu’s skinny body and shook while he tried not to cry, to hold some sort of composure together.

 

“Jus… just let it go, Eugene,” Snafu said softly as his other hand moved upwards and landed on top of Eugene’s head. “I ain’t ‘bout to judge you. Just, just do what you gotta do.”

 

Eugene let out a watery chuckle at the uncertainty in his friend’s voice but the laugh quickly dissolved into a sob and was quickly followed by tears. He felt stupid and was mildly embarrassed by him crying all over Snafu but it was nice, the physical comfort.

 

“What was its name?” Snafu asked a couple minutes later when Eugene had pulled his face away from Snafu’s neck but still rested his head on his shoulder.

 

“Deacon.”

 

“Pff, of course,” Snafu huffed with a roll of his eyes.

 

“What? What’s wrong with Deacon?” Eugene asked as he lifted his head and gave his friend a questioning look.

 

“Nothin’, except it’s the kinda fancy-ass name that I’d expect from the likes of you,” Snafu teased.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Eugene said sarcastically. “Well next time I get a dog I’ll be sure to consult you on the name. Give it something generic like ‘spot’ or something.”

 

“Ain’t nothing wrong with Spot,” Snafu said before he bumped his shoulder against Eugene. “And you better consult me so I can spare the dog from living its life with some weird name.”

 

“You wanna talk about weird names? Maybe I should talk to your parents, eh, Merriell?” Eugene quipped with a smirk on his face.

 

Snafu glared at him for a full minute before he shoved him onto the bed and stood up. Eugene pushed himself up onto his elbows and grinned at Snafu, knowing he had touched a nerve.

 

“Quit your smiling, Sledge,” Snafu warned. “You’re just lucky you look so fucking pathetic with your bloodshot eyes and your tears or I would have punched you.”

 

“Sure you would have.”

 

“If you keep up this attitude I sure as hell am gonna punch you,” Snafu declared.

 

“So you’re the only one who’s allowed to have an attitude?” Eugene asked as he sat up.

 

“Damn straight. Now get your ass up because I’m starving.”

 

“Okay but you’re paying right?” he asked as he got up from his bed.

 

“Why the hell would I treat you to lunch?”

 

“I’m grieving,” Eugene said in what he planned on being a serious voice but the smile that pulled at his face made his tone lose some of its pain.

 

“And I would have paid for you if you hadn’t called me fuckin’ Merriell,” Snafu said.

 

“You made fun of my dead dog, you asked for it,” Eugene stated as he gave his friend a stern look. “I think my actions were just.”

 

“Fine then,” Snafu sighed after a long moment. “But if you’re gonna try and drown you sorrows in dessert you can pay for that extra shit on your own, I’m not made of money.”

 

“Gee, you’re so kinda, Snaf. I don’t know what I’d do without guys like you.”

 

“I’m just one of a kind, Sledgehammer,” Snafu said as he grinned down at him. “You’re just lucky to have been blessed with my presence.”

 

“Yeah, blessed like Egypt was when the plague hit.”

 

“Keep it up, Sledge, and at this rate I’m gonna pay the cook to spit in your food,” Snafu insisted as they left the dorm and began their walk to their favorite diner.

 

“Well then I’ll just pay the cook to spit in your food as well,” Sledge countered.

 

Snafu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye for a moment before he chuckled and turned away. Eugene watched as Snafu lit a cigarette and with a warm grin on his face. When Snafu turned to look at him, he held up the package of cigarettes to Eugene; it was something he had always done, no matter how many times Eugene reminded him that he didn’t smoke. This time, however, Eugene told himself ‘what the hell’ and pulled the slim cylinders out of the package and placed it in-between his lips. A small smile lifted the corners of Snafu’s mouth as he held out his lighter and paused for a moment so that Eugene could safely light it.

 

“I’m gonna be in trouble with mama Sledge for corrupting her precious baby boy,” Snafu mumbled as he shoved the pack back into his pants pocket.

 

“Better watch out,” Eugene warned him as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. “She may seem harmless but she has got a mean swing.”

 

Snafu let out a chuckle and the two friends continued their short walk to the diner. When they were seated in their booth with their menus in hand, Eugene peered at Snafu over the top of his menu and cleared his throat.

 

“Um, Snaf?”

 

“Hmm?” he grunted without looking up.

 

“I just wanted to say thanks for… for earlier,” Eugene thanked quietly. “For being there for me. I know it’s not really your thing. But I really appreciate it.”

 

“Geez, Sledge, don’t get dramatic on me,” Snafu muttered with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Sorry,” Sledge mumbled as he returned back to his menu.

 

“…don’t mention it,” Snafu said a moment later. “What are friends for?”

 


	7. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What do you want, Sledgehammer?” 
> 
> “The truth. About what happened last night."

* * *

Eugene woke up Saturday morning in an unfamiliar bed with a pounding head ache. Well, he shouldn’t say unfamiliar because in the seven months that Eugene had known Snafu he had woken up in Snafu’s bed no less than five times. Nine times out of ten that Eugene woke up in Snafu’s bed, he also woke up to Snafu’s warm body pressed against him. Whenever the two friends drank, there was a high probability of them crashing next to or on top of each other; it’s just what happened and they were comfortable with it. The guys on the floor would make jokes about it from time to time but no one had a problem with it or even stopped to question when they found the two grown men curled up in the same tiny twin bed together. Usually after they managed to get into an upright position they would drag each other to breakfast while they tried to piece together the night before.

 

Eugene blinked a few more times until his eyes were able to focus and take in the scene completely. He was laying on his side in Snafu’s bed while Snafu laid in front of him with his back to him. Eugene had an arm wrapped securely around Snafu’s waist and their bodies were folded together. Technically they were spooning but dammit he wasn’t going to call it that, it just seemed a little weird. Something that was off-putting was the fact that both he and Snafu were shirtless. It had happened a few times before, not a huge deal. They had played strip poker before with some of the guys on the floor and had woken up in only their boxers, but partial nudity had never coincided with cuddling before.

 

Feeling as if he had been hit by a truck, Eugene slowly disentangled himself from Snafu and forced himself to sit up. As he sat up, he looked around the room and took in the amount of carnage. Usually when they ended up like this, Eugene woke up to a disaster area that consisted of emptied alcohol containers, crushed red bull cans, empty pizza boxes and half eaten bags of now stale Cheetos; today was no different. As he stared around at the carnage, he tried to jog his memory for what exactly had happened the night before, but everyone came of fuzzy and twisted. Groaning, Eugene pulled his knees up to his chest and rubbed his face with hands. He felt dizzy and nauseous and somehow starving but the idea of food made him feel as if he would puke at the slightest provocation.

 

He felt the bed shift and as he glanced through his fingers, he saw Snafu roll over onto his back and glance up at him with a tired expression.

 

“I have never been this hung-over before,” Eugene groaned as he stared at Snafu through bleary vision. “To be honest I think I may still be drunk.”

 

“You did go pretty hard last night,” Snafu said in a monotone voice as he lifted the covers off of him.

 

“Man, I don’t even remember last night,” Eugene admitted weakly as he watched as Snafu got off of the bed and stood up.

 

There was a pause where Snafu froze in the middle of reaching for his shirt that had been discarded on the ground. Even in Eugene’s less than stable state he could see that something was wrong. Finally, Snafu unfroze, grabbed his shirt and pulled it on.

 

“Really?” Snafu asked. “I had hoped maybe one of us would have remembered.”

 

“You don’t remember anything either?”

 

“Everything’s a blur.”

 

“Shit, how much did we drink?”

 

“Well I don’t know how much you drank because after I was done for the night you apparently went out with some of the other guys.”

 

“Really?” Eugene asked, surprised. “I drank _more_ than you?”

 

“Ehh, I can’t go hard all the time,” Snafu said with a shrug. “Gotta have a light night every once and a while.”

 

“Clearly you didn’t go that lightly if you don’t remember last night either.”

 

“Comparatively speaking I went light last night,” Snafu expanded as he pulled on a pair of jeans from the floor.

 

Eugene watched as Snafu walked over to his closet and shoved his feet into a pair of tennis shoes before he grabbed his book bag and threw it over his shoulder; he couldn’t help but notice that Snafu refused to look at him and things felt more awkward than they had the first time they had woken up next to each other.

 

“So, do you want to get breakfast?” Eugene asked as he lifted the blankets off of himself and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m buying.”

 

“I can’t,” Snafu grumbled with his back to Eugene. “Gotta go study for this exam I got comin’ up. Heading over to the library.”

 

“You’re going to the library. Over breakfast. While hung-over,” Eugene repeated slowly, not believing the words that came out of his mouth as he said them. “Did you drink something last night that just completely switched your personality? This is Snafu Shelton I’m talking to, right?”

 

“Yeah it’s still fuckin’ me, I just got shit to do,” Snafu bit out. “See you later, Gene.”

 

Eugene watched as Snafu left his dorm room and slammed the door behind him, leaving Eugene alone on his bed in his underwear, feeling confused and completely hung-over.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Eugene, you alive?!” Sidney yelled as he walked into their shared dorm room some time later.

 

After Eugene had managed to pull himself from Snafu’s bed, he staggered down the hallway, grabbed a water bottle from his mini fridge, blocked out every light source in the room, even the slight glow from his alarm clock, and buried himself under his covers.

 

“Do you have to be so loud?” Eugene moaned as he hid his head underneath his pillows in attempt to block out the light and the noise that came in from the hall. “Please shut the door.”

 

“Yeah, I bet you’re feeling that bottle of jack now,” Sidney said with way too much joy in his voice to be legal. “All of those beers. I think there was a shot or two of tequila in there somewhere…”

 

“Please stop talking,” he moaned as he pressed his pillow to his ears; it did little to muffle the noises Sidney made but it was worth a shot.

 

“Maybe next time you’ll think before you try to outdrink everyone in the room.”

 

“I got it. Horrible decision. Make better choices next time. Afterschool special bullshit,” Eugene groaned as he fought a wave of nausea; he had thrown up twice already and even though his stomach growled he didn’t think he’d be able to take in anything besides water and a handful of crackers. “I got the message, Sid, now please can you just leave me alone? I feel like I’m dying.”

 

“You know I expected you and Snafu to be indisposed for a bit longer,” Sid muttered as he shuffled around at his desk. “Figured I’d be able to get some studying done before you came back here.”

 

“Wouldn’t have moved but Snaf kinda kicked me out,” Eugene muttered quietly into the pillows; he couldn’t help but think about how Snafu had acted so strangely, how he had seemed angry with him. It didn’t make sense. Did he do something last night he couldn’t remember?

 

“Didn’t expect it to be over that quick,” Sidney said as he sat down at his desk. “Now I fucking owe Bill twenty bucks.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Eugene asked as he lifted the blankets off of his head and stared at his best friend in confusion.

 

“You honestly don’t remember?” Sidney asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

 

“Remember what?”

 

“Well, you did drink that bottle by yourself,” Sidney muttered to himself with a shrug. “Think Jay’s still a little ticked with that…”

 

“Sid,” Eugene said as he forced himself into a sitting position and stared at his friend. “What the fuck are you talking about? Just tell me, instead of beating around the bush like this.”

 

Sidney made a face that said he’d probably rather not talk about what had happened, but he sighed and gnawed at his bottom lip for a long moment before he shook his head and turn to look at Eugene.

 

“So do you remember playing truth or dare?” Sidney started off.

 

“Vaguely,” Eugene admitted while he thought back to the night before; everything was hazy and distorted and felt like he was trying to remember a dream more than what actually happened. “Why? What happened?”

 

Again, Sidney was hesitant to give up information but he gave up when Eugene glared and prodded him to continue.

 

“Well, someone, they dared Snafu to kiss someone, mind you at this point he was passed out on the floor; we thought he was out for the night.”

 

_“And?”_

 

“And…” Sidney stalled before he let out a huff and continued. “And he kissed you.”

 

“What?” Eugene exclaimed as he stared at his best friend with wide eyes; he couldn’t have heard that right, right? “ _He kissed me?”_

 

“A lot,” Sidney added as an afterthought. “Like it was kinda gross… but not because it was two dudes or anything! But like, it was just gross because you two were so blacked out drunk that it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight on anyone.”

 

“Snafu kissed me?” Eugene repeated while he struggled to accept the words.

 

“Yeah and I think he did more than that later, based on that fucking vampire bite on your neck,” Sidney added with a little smirk as he gestured towards a bruise on Eugene’s neck.

 

“I’ve got to talk to him,” he declared as he stood up; he wobbled slightly and he felt the faint need to vomit but he pushed it down.

 

Before Sidney could even get up from his seat at his desk and stop Eugene, he was already out of the room and down the hall. When he reached Snafu’s room, he didn’t bother knocking and barged right inside. Snafu was seated on the windowsill with the window thrown open and a cigarette between his lips, just like the first time he walked into his room all those months ago. Snafu didn’t even glance at him when he entered the room and didn’t move when he closed and locked the door behind him.

 

“What do you want, Sledgehammer?” Snafu asked with a growl as Eugene walked towards him and stopped in front of him.

 

“The truth. About what happened last night,” Eugene said. “Sid told me what happened. Now I want to hear it from you.”

 

“I don’t remember shit about last night,” he grumbled as he refused to look at him.

 

“Bullshit,” Eugene declared before he reached out, gripped Snafu’s arm, and yanked him so that he was facing him. “You damn well remember what happened last night and that’s why you’re acting so fucking pissy.”

 

“Well then why don’t you tell me what the fuck happened? Clear it up for me some.”

 

Eugene looked into Snafu’s eyes, glanced around the room, still in a state of disarray and chaos, before looked back at Snafu as the memories of last night began to clear and come back to him from the haze.

 

“We kissed.”


	8. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all started with a night of simple drinking and fun with friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super fucking long chapter alert

* * *

It all started with a night of simple drinking and fun with friends.

 

The fourth floor R.A. went home for the weekend, which meant that instead of the boys being forced to drink quietly in their rooms with the doors shut tight, they were able to have a bit more freedom. The boys, Eugene, Snafu, Bill, Burgie, Jay, and Sidney, had made a call to Jay’s older cousin and made one of their largest booze purchases to date. Later in the night, the boys invited over Florence and Gwen and some of their friends to come over to their dorm.

 

They made quick work of the drinks and things became messy quicker than usual. In the beginning of the night they all sat around and relaxed. However, before anyone knew what was happening, there were cries of ‘truth or dare’ and ‘spin the bottle’ and because Bill Leyden bitched that no way in hell would he be forced to make out with one of the guys because of a bottle, they decided on truth or dare.

 

There was some minor stripping, making out, weird food and drink concoctions were consumed and secrets told, some juicy, some lackluster. When people chickened out they were given a penalty shot, usually of the strongest stuff that they had on hand.  Snafu, half way through the game, began to declare their truths lame and their dares tame and elementary, so instead of playing along, he requested the penalty shot. It was because of that that Snafu was now lying on his back on the floor next to Eugene, apparently passed out. Bill kept saying how he was going to draw on his face but Eugene knew if it came to that he’d have to put a stop to it; he knew the end results would not be worth the couple minutes of giggles it gave them.

 

“Okay, Gwen, your turn,” Burgin said with a grin as he took a pull from his beer. “Who ya gonna ask?"

 

“Shelton,” Gwen declared with a sneaky grin on her face.

 

There was a chorus of noises that followed this declaration but Gwen continued to grin. Snafu was currently sprawled out on his back with a drunken grin on his face, as he had been for the last twenty minutes. Many had considered him out of the game for a while. Jay reached out and slapped Snafu’s leg.

 

“Rise and shine Snafu,” Bill said as he kicked his foot against Snafu’s.

 

“’M up?” he mumbled as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

 

“Truth or dare?”

 

“Daaaaarrrree,” he slurred out cockily. “Whatever you wanna dish. I can handle it. Y’all are fuckin’ weak when it comes to dares.”

 

“Alright, then,” Gwen said with a smirk “I dare you to kiss whoever you think is the hottest person in the room.”

 

There were choruses of groans and complaints about not wanting Snafu to kiss them. Eugene chuckled at his friends as he took a pull from his almost empty bottle. He turned to glance at Snafu and was about to tell him to just pick someone already when he found himself with both of Snafu’s hands on his face and a mouthful of Snafu.

 

Eugene was sure his heart stopped and his brain was low on oxygen or possibly hell had frozen over because there was no way Snafu could be kissing him as if he had stepped right out of a porno. After a moment of indecision Eugene pushed forward and kissed back. There were hoots and hollers and groans and pleads to make it stop because someone was going to be sick but he didn’t care. He tried to focus on the kiss but he couldn’t stop laughing and smiling and giggling so it made it more difficult to kiss Snafu. Snafu didn’t seem to care. If anything it just made him more determined and vicious.

 

“Okay, guys, enough,” Sidney called out. “Bill’s about to puke on you and I will not stop him.”

 

“Sorry!” Eugene called out weakly as he pried Snafu’s hands off of his face and attempted to break away for. “Snafu! Snaf! Come on!" Eugene gripped Snafu’s hands tightly and used his arms to push the man away from him. When he finally managed to get Snafu off of him, he gave Eugene an over-exaggerated wink before he reached behind him and took a long pull from a nearly empty whiskey bottle.

 

“Thanks for that, Snafu,” Burgie said sarcastically while looking as if he had just smelled something unpleasant.

 

“You get an A+ for commitment,” Gwen said with a nod. “You too Eugene.”

 

“Yeah way to take one for the team,” Jay said with a nod.

 

“Jesus Christ I think I’m gonna be sick,” Bill declared sourly.

 

“Poor little ballpeen hammer can’t hold his liquor,” Snafu mumbled as he collapsed back onto the floor.

 

“Guys, I think after that interesting display, we should call it a night,” Burgie declared.

 

“Aw, come on,” Sid exclaimed. “It’s only three! There’s still time!”

 

“You can call it a night, Burgie,” Eugene said with a shrug. “But if anyone else is up to keep this party going I’m game. Who’s in?”

 

“I am,” Sidney declared as he clapped his best friend on the shoulder. He then turned to his girlfriend, “How about you?”

 

“Well someone has to keep you two in line,” Gwen said while a grin pulled at her mouth.

 

“Any other takers?” Eugene called.

 

“Me and Flo are gonna call it a night I think,” Burgin said as he wrapped and arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

 

“You guys are already like forty years old, I swear,” Eugene grumbled as he stumbled into a standing position; he leaned against the wall to help with support. “Any other takers? Jay? Bill? Come on.”

 

“I’m sorry, Gene, but I’m done,” Jay sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes.

 

“You should be thankful I didn’t puke on you after that,” Bill declared. “I’m gonna go crash and hope I’m drunk enough to forget that that happened. Nother time, Gene.”

 

“Really?” Eugene exclaimed before he turned to look at his best friend and his girl. “Guess it’s just us three tonight.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You sure you can make it upstairs, Eugene?” Sidney asked him as he placed a bracing hand on Eugene’s shoulder.

 

“Piece of cake,” Eugene assured his friend through his slur.

 

“Okay well if you pass out in the stairwell remember that it was not on me.”

 

“Go,” Eugene insisted as he jerked out of Sidney’s grip and almost fell backwards in the process. “I’m fine!”

 

“Eugene, I have never seen you this wasted,” Sidney laughed as he watched his best friend stumble backwards and hit the side of the dorm building.

 

“I’m havin’ a good night, what can I say?”

 

“You sure have had one hell of a night,” Sidney teased with a knowing look.

 

“Oh just go already!” Eugene yelled as he dug into his pockets in search of his I.D. that would allow him into the building.  “Go have fun with Gwen. I’ll be fine.”

 

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Sidney grinned before he took a step backwards and wrapped an arm around Gwen, who watched the scene in mild amusement. “Be careful, Eugene. Stairs are tricky sons of bitches.”

 

“Get lost, greaser!” Eugene yelled as he finally managed to open the door.

 

“Oh and watch out for Snafu’s mouth!” Sidney called over his shoulder with a knowing smirk. “You don’t know where that thing has been! We should get you checked out in the morning!”

 

Eugene raised his middle finger in response before he stumbled inside of the building and headed for the elevator; he knew better than to try and take four flights of stairs in his condition. As Eugene collapsed against the wall of the rickety elevator, he thought back to what Sidney had warned. He thought back to Snafu and how warm his mouth had felt against his own, how unexpectedly gentle his hands had felt on his face while he had bit as his mouth. He remembered how even though the kiss had been sloppy and drunken and rough, too full of teeth and tongue, it had been the best kiss of his life.

 

A goofy smile pulled at Eugene’s mouth as the elevator opened up onto the fourth floor stairwell. He thought about how the guys had ripped on him about the kiss but he realized as he stumbled down the deserted hallway that he didn’t mind at all. He knew deep down that it wasn’t just because he was drunker than he had ever been in his life but because it was actually something that he wanted.

 

It was this realization that had Eugene stumbling into Snafu’s dorm room instead of his own.

 

Snafu was asleep in his bed, passed out on his stomach with his shirt off, blankets tangled around his legs. Eugene grinned as he wobbly kicked off his shoes, not caring where they landed; his shoes hit a cluster of beer cans and the noise caused Snafu to shift slightly in his sleep but he didn’t wake up. Grinning still, Eugene unbuckled his belt and kicked off his jeans onto the ground before he stumbled over the leftover cups and beer cans on the floor and collapsed onto the bed. The jolt shook Snafu out of his deep, drunken sleep.

 

“Sledge?” Snafu grumbled as he pushed himself up and found Eugene lying next to him in the tiny twin bed with the goofiest expression on his face.

 

“Heeeeeeeeyyyyy, Snaf,” Eugene slurred.

 

“You do realize you have your own bed down the hall, right?” he grumbled as he rolled over so that his back was to Eugene.

 

The movement made Eugene’s smile faltered for a second but he ignored it before he curled up close to Snafu; he pressed his face into the back of Snafu’s neck and wrapped an arm around his waist.

 

“Jesus, Sledge, give a guy some space will you? I am not drunk enough to cuddle, dammit,” Snafu growled as he reached out and gripped Eugene’s wrist so that he could move it off of his hip.

 

“You were drunk enough to kiss me,” Eugene countered into the back of his neck which froze Snafu with his hand around Eugene’s wrist.

 

There was a long silent pause where the only noise that could be heard was their combined breathing. Finally, after what felt like forever to Eugene, Snafu let go of Eugene’s wrist and scooted as far away from Eugene as he possibly could.

 

“’was drunk, what can I say?”

 

“You can tell me if you meant it or not,” Eugene continued as moved forward so that he was once again pressed up against Snafu, however, this time Snafu had nowhere to go. Eugene knew in the back of his mind that this was like poking a wild bear in the eye with a stick but he was so flooded with liquid courage at the moment that he couldn’t really find it in him to care.

 

“It was a stupid game, you fucking idiot,” Snafu growled as he turned slightly so that he could shove Eugene.

 

“So that makes it not real?” Eugene asked quietly while his drunken mind tried to think through Snafu’s growling remarks.

 

“Yes. Now shut up and go to sleep before I kick you out of here.”

 

If Eugene were soberer, he most likely would have left by this point, if had managed to make it into the room at all. But, being blind, stinking drunk, he was able to push all rational thought away and did something unexpected. Eugene pushed himself up and moved the hand that rested on Snafu’s hip to the small space in-between Snafu’s body and the wall. Snafu tensed but didn’t try to move away as Eugene hovered over him. Eugene lowered himself down on unsteady arms and tilted his head so that he was able to press a lopsided kiss onto Snafu’s mouth. Snafu jerked slightly but didn’t fight it.

 

“What the hell was that for?” Snafu growled as he continued to stare at the blank wall in front of him.

 

“It’s not fair you got to kiss me but I didn’t get to kiss you,” Eugene said with a shrug as continued to loom over Snafu.

 

“You call that a kiss?” Snafu snorted which caused Eugene’s already flushed face to redden.

 

“Well I can’t really kiss you when you’re fucking burrowed into a wall,” Eugene countered as he swayed slightly on his wobbly arms.

 

“So you’re saying is that if I were to move away from the wall you’d be able to show me a good time?” Snafu asked with a smirk in his voice.

 

“Do you doubt me?” Eugene asked cockily.

 

Eugene waited for a moment before Snafu rolled onto his back and stared up at Eugene with his wide, slightly glazed, pale eyes. He smirked up at him as he cocked his head to the side, challenging him. Eugene grinned goofily before he leaned in.

 

The kiss wasn’t the same as the one Snafu gave him before. That one was sloppy and full of teeth and tongue and nearly forced Eugene flat on his back. This one was gentler, with much less slobber and teeth. There were some bumped teeth and bit lips while Eugene struggled through his intoxication and Snafu struggled through his fight for dominance, but they were both determined to get it right. When they broke apart, Eugene rested his forehead against Snafu’s and grinned down at him.

 

“Is that all you got?” Snafu challenged.

 

Before Eugene’s drunken brain could comprehend what happened, he found himself flipped over onto his back, pressed into the mattress, while Snafu hovered over him victorious as he straddled his waist. Then Snafu’s lips were back on his and Eugene found his fingers buried in Snafu’s hair and tugging at his shirt.

 

“Feisty,” Snafu growled before he leaned back, pulled off his shirt, and threw it into some darken corner of the room. Eugene propped himself up on his elbows and pulled his own shirt off and tossed it away to join Snafu’s shirt. “You know for a scrawny kid you’re kinda hot.”

 

“Yeah because you have so much room to talk,” Eugene countered.

 

“Mouthy,” Snafu sneered with a shake of his head before he dipped his head back down and attached his mouth to Eugene’s neck.

 

Eugene couldn’t help the loud moan that came out of his mouth. Snafu broke away and covered Eugene’s mouth with one of his warm hands.

 

“Do you want the entire fuckin’ building to hear you?”

 

“What’s it matter?” Eugene giggled against Snafu’s hand. “Who cares? The guys didn’t care when you kissed me earlier, so what?”

 

“They thought it was a joke,” Snafu growled as he removed his hand from Eugene and glared down at him. “You think they’re gonna be all gun ho about it when they…”

 

“When they what, Snaf?” Eugene asked quietly. When Snafu didn’t answer him, Eugene reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. “Talk to me.”

 

Snafu glanced down at him for a brief second before he jerked his head out of Eugene’s hand and he sat back on Eugene’s thighs. He stared down at Eugene with a hard expression.

 

“What are we doing?”

 

“Huh? I thought that was kind of obvious, Snaf,” Eugene said with a cocky smirk.

 

“No it’s not fucking obvious, Sledge. Is this just some stupid drunken hook up that we’re supposed to forget about after tonight?”

 

“What?” Eugene asked, the alcohol in his bloodstream made it hard to comprehend exactly what was being said.

 

“We supposed to just forget about this shit when we wake up tomorrow? Do what we always do when we wake up in bed together? Go out for breakfast? Pretend it’s totally fuckin’ normal for two friends to do? I’m supposed to ignore the fact that I put that fucking hickey on your neck? What are we supposed to do?”

 

Eugene didn’t know what to say; he hadn’t expected Snafu to say these things. When Eugene had crawled into bed with Snafu, his alcohol soaked brain had expected something fun, not a serious conversation.

 

“What do you want, Eugene?”

 

What did he want?

 

_I want to be with him_ , Eugene thought instantly.

 

He wanted to be with Snafu. He knew it. He wanted to fall asleep with him on purpose and then get breakfast in the morning and laugh about the stupid shit their friends did and then do their homework together like any other normal day. But then maybe instead of getting dinner with their friends at the food hall they could go somewhere more private together or maybe they could still be with their friends but instead of Burgie and Florence or Sid and Gwen being teased for being gross couples, he and Snafu could be teased. They could stop dancing around each other and just be together without worrying what was okay and what wasn’t.

 

Eugene knew what he wanted. But he didn’t know what Snafu wanted. He wanted to tell him these things, but what if Snafu didn’t want them? What if when Eugene told his friend these things, Snafu just laughed in his face, called him an idiot, and then he would end up losing any sort of friendship with him? He couldn’t and wouldn’t risk that.

 

“Well… well what do you want?” Eugene asked quietly after the silence had stretched on long enough.

 

Snafu stared down at him for a long moment with his thousand yard stare that used to unnerve him so much. He felt an uneasy prickle crawl up his spine and the drunken euphoria that had filled him so moments ago had all but evaporated. Clearly he had not said the right thing.

 

He expected Snafu to snap, to growl and bitch. Instead, Snafu sighed and crawled off of Eugene and collapsed onto his side with his face to the wall, body as far away from Eugene as possible. There was a long moment where the only noise was the pounding of Eugene’s heart. He felt cold and sober and extremely confused and he didn’t know what had just happened.

 

“Do you want me to go?” Eugene finally asked as he stared up at the ceiling.

 

“I don’t care,” Snafu grumbled quietly.

 

For a moment, Eugene considered getting up and leaving but for whatever reason, he pulled the tangled blankets around himself and moved to the opposite edge of the bed so that there was as much room in-between the two as possible. Eugene lifted a hand and rubbed his neck, where he was sure there was an impressive bruise forming already and wondered what the hell had just happened and what the fuck he was supposed to do about it.

 

 


	9. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We kissed."
> 
> “It was fucking truth or dare, big deal. Part of the game. Shit happens.”

* * *

“We kissed,” Eugene said.

 

“It was fucking truth or dare, big deal,” Snafu huffed. “Part of the game. Shit happens.”

 

“You gave me a fucking hickey!” Eugene cried.

 

“Well you were the one to kiss me a second time,” Snafu countered. “ _Long_ after the game.”

 

“You told me to!”

 

“And you fuckin’ listened to me?” he growled. “I was piss drunk.”

 

“So was I!” Eugene yelled. “And you expected me to have some big conversation when I was drunker than I had ever been in my life?”

 

“So now you’re blaming this on me? I didn’t force you to get wasted off of your ass last night, Sledge.”

 

“No but you got all fucking pissy with me when I didn’t say what I thought because I didn’t want to say it and then fuck everything over if you didn’t agree!”

 

“So you know what you want?” Snafu asked as he took a step closer to Eugene.

 

“Yes!” Eugene exclaimed before he could stop himself.

 

“Well then what do you want, Sledge?” Snafu demanded with his face only a handful of inches away from Eugene’s now.

 

“I want to be with you, asshole!”

 

In a split second, Snafu’s hands were on his face and then Snafu’s face crashed against his own in what had to be the most bruising kiss ever; Eugene was pretty sure he had a split lip but he didn’t really care. When Snafu’s fingernails started to dig into his face, he gripped them gently and pulled them away from his face; Snaf was too damn rough. Snafu slid his hands down Eugene’s chest until they landed on his waist and tugged him even closer. Eugene grinned before he wrapped his arms around Snafu’s neck. When they finally broke apart, Snafu rested his forehead against Eugene’s and stared straight into his eyes with the intensity that used to make him feel uneasy but now gave him butterflies.

 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Eugene murmured.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You never said. I asked you what you wanted and you never answered me,” Eugene explained. “So give me an answer.”

 

“Aw, what the fuck, Eugene, really?” Snafu grumbled. “Ain’t it obvious?”

 

“If you don’t answer me soon I’m gonna leave your ass and not talk to your ugly mug until you tell me,” Eugene warned.

 

“Ugly mug?” Snafu asked.

 

“Shelton, quit stalling.”

 

“Hmm, I like it when you get bossy,” he said with a smirk as he titled his head slightly so that he could kiss him again; however Eugene pulled away and stopped Snafu with his forehead.

 

“Snaf,” Eugene insisted quietly.

 

He tilted his head so that he could look Snafu in the eyes. Eugene watched for a moment as Snafu’s eyes flickered away from his and he bit his lip, looking uneasy. After a long moment Snafu sighed and tilted his head forwards again; this time Eugene allowed him to place a soft, chaste kiss to his lips.

 

“I like you okay,” Snafu muttered against his lips.

 

“And?” Eugene persisted with the faintest of smiles; the smile grew to a smirk when Snafu let out a huff. He knew he would get in trouble for this later but it was important. Things needed to be clear.

 

“And I want to be with you too,” Snafu finished in an almost inaudible grumble.

 

“Was that so hard to say?” Eugene teased as he rubbed his thumbs over the back of Snafu’s neck.

 

He let out a small chuckle when Snafu gave him an annoyed look. To placate him, Eugene pressed a kiss to Snafu’s lips and ran his fingers through his curly hair. Snafu tightened his grip on Eugene’s waist was tugged him closer just before there was a loud knock on Snafu’s dorm room door.

 

“Are you two assholes done in there?” Burgin called through the door, sounding annoyed. “I got a chem test I gotta study for and I need my shit. But if you guys are in the middle of make-up sex I’d rather fail my chem exam than be forced to witness that shit.”

 

Grinning, Eugene gently pushed Snafu away and reached out so that he could open the door to reveal a rather exasperated looking Burgin. The shorter man rolled his eyes before he walked into the room. He walked to his desk and began to shove textbooks and folders and notebooks into his book bag before he glanced over his shoulder and gave the two of them a dry look.

 

“So are you two good then?” Burgie asked before the corner of his mouth upturned into the faintest of smirks; it made Eugene feel good.

 

 “Yeah we’re good,” Eugene answered with a smile.

 

“Mazel tov,” he responded, looking unimpressed. “Just so you know I’d appreciate it if you gave me a heads up if you guys are gonna be fooling around in here. Have the common decency to put a sock on the doorknob or something.”

 

“Right,” Eugene mumbled while he felt his cheeks burn slightly.

 

“Because to be honest with you, after that example of overly public displays of affection last night I have very little wish to ever see anything like that again.”

 

“Sorry, Burgie,” Snafu said as he said on the edge of his bed with a grin on his face that said that he was not at all sorry.

 

“Yeah, sure you are,” he mumbled before he shouldered his backpack. He glanced at them over his shoulder before he shook his head, grinned, and muttered, “assholes.”

 

When the door closed behind Burgin, Eugene turned around and was hit in the face instantly with one of Snafu’s old socks.

 

“What the hell, Snafu?” he asked as he wiped at his face and glanced at the sock in his hand.

 

“That’s for the door,” he said with a wink. “How about we continue what we started last night?”

 

Eugene stared at him for a moment before he glanced at the sock and then back at Snafu’s cocky expression. Sighing, Eugene tossed the sock over his shoulder before he reached out and grabbed Snafu’s hand. He tugged him upwards.

 

“How about we get some food instead?” Eugene asked which caused Snafu to pout, which caused him to laugh.

 

“You’re no fun,” Snafu whined.

 

“Yeah well you knew what you were getting into,” Eugene sighed before he opened the door and walked out into the hallway. “I haven’t eaten all day, can you blame me?”

 

“I should get you drunk more often,” he muttered as they walked side by side down the hallway. “You’re more willing to let loose.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a regular college kid gone wild,” Eugene joked. “Get me liquored up and I’m down for anything.”

 

“Oh really? Anything?” Snafu asked with a grin that Eugene wanted to slap off his face.

 

“Shut up, Snaf,” Eugene said as he gave him a little shove.

 

“Make me,” Snafu dared with a toothy grin.

 

Eugene stopped in his tracks for a moment and looked at Snafu, who copied his movements and stopped walking and looked at him expectantly. He rolled his eyes before he gripped the back of Snafu’s neck and kissed him.

 

“Now come on, I’m starving,” Eugene said before he reached down, grabbed Snafu’s hand, and tugged him towards the stairs.

 

When Eugene felt Snafu’s fingers lace with his own, he couldn’t help but smile.

 


	10. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, I talked to my mom today. . . I told her about us. . . about us being more than friends."

* * *

“So, I talked to my mom today,” Eugene started as he sat down on the edge of Snafu’s bed. “She called me.”

 

Snafu was sprawled out on his back as he tossed a ball up into the air and caught it repeatedly. He glanced at Eugene for a moment before he continued with his movements.

 

“And how is the good mama Sledge?” Snafu asked.

 

“She’s fine,” Eugene answered quickly before he let out a deep breath. “I told her about us… about us being _more_ than friends.”

 

Snafu caught the ball one final time before he tossed it to the floor and turned onto his side and stared at Eugene. Eugene twisted his body so that he was looking down at Snafu’s wide pale eyes.

 

“What’d she say ‘bout it?”

 

“She was… okay, I guess,” Eugene answered with a shrug. “She asked if I was sure about it, ya know? Seems a little worried if you ask me but she wasn’t mad about it or anything. Talked to my dad about it too.”

 

“And what’d the doc have to say?” he asked as he propped himself up onto his elbow.

 

“He didn’t have a problem with it either. Seemed less concerned than my mom,” Eugene answered before he let out a small huff of a laugh. “He told me he loved me.”

 

“Well ain’t that just peachy,” Snafu said as he looked away before he reached out and absentmindedly played with the hem of Eugene’s shirt. “They say anything else?”

 

“Yeah,” Eugene nodded. “They want to meet you.”

 

“Huh?” Snafu asked as he sat up. “They said _what?_ ”

 

“They want to meet you,” Eugene repeated as a smile came to his face. “It’s a normal reaction from a parent when their child tells them they have a boyfriend.”

 

“Oh so I’m your boyfriend now?” Snafu asked as he leaned forward until his forehead rested against Eugene’s. “We’re using those kinds of cheesy labels are we?”

 

“Yeah, I figured, why not,” he shrugged before a minor flush spread across Eugene’s face. “That okay? If I call you my boyfriend?”

 

Snafu looked at him for a long moment before he turned away, buried his face into his shoulder, and mumbled, “I don’t care,” which Eugene knew meant that it was okay.

 

“Did you… did you tell your parents?” Eugene asked quietly after a long pause.

 

“What that you’re my _boyfriend?_ ” Snafu asked; Eugene rolled his eyes at the added emphasis that he put on the word with the soul intention of annoying Eugene.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Yeah I did,” Snafu mumbled as he moved his head from Eugene’s shoulder to his neck.

 

“And what’d they say about it?”

 

“I dunno, they asked if I was happy,” Snafu mumbled before he placed a gentle bite on Eugene’s neck.

 

“And what’d you tell them?” Eugene asked as Snafu wrapped his arms around his waist; when Snafu continued to focus on his neck instead of answering him, Eugene gave him a little shove. “Hey, no hiding. Quit stalling.”

 

“Do you really wanna talk about this shit?” he grumbled.

 

“Yes, I do,” Eugene said.

 

“Do I really need to tell you if I’m happy with you, Sledge?” Snafu grumbled as he looked up at Eugene. “I mean, I only fucking spend most of my spare time with you and when we’re not together I’m probably texting or I’m on my way to go bother you. So what do you think?”

 

“I think you know how to answer a simple question,” Eugene teased. “But instead of saying something that might embarrass you, you skate around the answer until you accidentally answer the question with an explosion.”

 

“Why do I even like you?”

 

“I don’t know why but if you ever do meet my parents you better have an answer for them because my mom is definitely gonna asked,” Eugene teased.

 

“I can picture it now,” Snafu muttered as he rested his head back on Eugene’s shoulder. “Mama Sledge interrogating me. Making sure I’ll do right by her baby boy…”

 

“She is more intimidating than one might think,” Eugene said as he brought a hand into his curly hair. “I wouldn’t want to put anyone up against her.”

 

“So why are you making me?” he whined.

 

 _“I’m_ not making you, _she’s_ gonna _me_ make you. It’s different.”

 

“You’re mommy whipped,” he sighed as Eugene played with his hair.

 

“I’m sure you’re no better,” Eugene countered. “I can only imagine the kind of woman who managed to raise crazy Snafu Shelton.”

 

“Well maybe you’ll meet her someday,” Snafu mumbled as he retreated back toward Eugene’s neck.

 

“I’d like that.”


	11. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You have two little sisters, right?”
> 
> “Yeah. They’re ten. Pain in the asses the both of them, but their cuteness is what saves them.”

* * *

“So your brother…” Snafu started as he stared up at the ceiling.

 

“Edward,” Eugene supplied as he lay next to him on Snafu’s bed.

 

“He’s… how much older than you?”

 

“Edward’s five years older.”

 

“And he’s married?”

 

“Yeah. His wife’s name is Martha. I like her. She’s nice.”

 

“Seem kinda young to be married if you ask me.”

 

“They met their freshman year of college, so they’ve been together for seven years; five years when they got married.”

 

“Still seem too young,” Snafu mused as he took a drag from his cigarette; he passed it to Eugene, who accepted it and took a pull. “And you have a nephew?”

 

“Uh, not yet,” Eugene answered with an exhale of smoke. “In a month or so.”

 

“That’s exciting,” Snafu muttered in a tone of voice that said he clearly did not find the information all that exciting.

 

“I guess,” Eugene sighed as he returned the smoke to Snafu. “Mom’s excited to be a grandmother. Being an uncle… don’t really know what you’re supposed to do.”

 

“You don’t really do much,” Snafu answered. “You end up falling somewhere between an older brother and their dad. Basically you just hand them presents and babysit them when asked to.”

 

“Right, you’re already an uncle,” Eugene said. “Forgot.”

 

“My brother Beau,” Snafu answered. “Got a two year old niece. She’ll be three in October. Her name’s Jamie.”

 

Cigarette held between his lips, Snafu pulled out his cellphone and flipped through a couple of photos before he landed on a picture of him with a chubby little girl with curly brown hair sitting on his lap.

 

“She’s cute,” Eugene declared with a smile as Snafu returned his phone to his pocket.

 

“I guess. If you catch her on a good day. She’s one cranky kid if you ask me.”

 

“Beau’s twenty-eight?”

 

“Twenty-seven. He not married though,” Snafu answered. “But for what it’s worth, he gets along pretty well with his baby mama. Meant more to be friends than husband and wife I guess.”

 

“How’d your family react to that?” Eugene asked as he held his hand out for the cigarette again.

 

“Initially my parents were pissed, but I mean, lots of people are like that nowadays. They get along pretty well, got a good custody agreement, didn’t have to go to court or nothing. Pretty much a modern day Cinderella tale.”

 

“Pff, yeah, sounds about right,” Eugene huffed before he passed back the almost spent cigarette.

 

“Things could be worse,” Snafu said. “My family’s pretty good at accepting the shittiness of a situation and finding the good in it. Or at least that’s what my mama says, but I’m pretty sure that’s just her way of telling me to deal with the shit that comes my way.”

 

“You have two little sisters, right?” Eugene continued a moment later as Snafu busied himself with lighting a new cigarette. “Twins, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Snafu answered as he returned to lie next to Eugene on the bed. “They’re ten. Pain in the asses the both of them, but their cuteness is what saves them.”

 

“What are their names again?” Eugene asked with a chuckle. “ _Leo_ and _Lena_?”

 

“It’s _Leona-Marie_ and _Leola-May_ ,” Snafu answered with a slightly irritated grumble.

 

“Sorry,” Eugene apologized.

 

“It’s not me you’re going to have to apologize to,” Snafu said through a cloud of exhaled smoke. “If they hear your mess up their names they’re gonna fucking attack you. Those two are pint-sized psychopaths.”

 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less than the siblings of Snafu Shelton,” Eugene said with a grin before he took another drag from his cigarette.

 

“Shut up, Eugene. And gimme back my smoke.”

 


	12. Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’chu got against weird nicknames, Sledgehammer?”
> 
>  
> 
> “Nothing. Where did ‘Snafu’ even come from?"

* * *

“Hey, Mer, can you pass me my bio textbook?” Eugene asked without looking up from his laptop.

 

It was midterm week and Eugene and Snafu were busy studying for their respective exams in Eugene’s room. Snafu didn’t have a midterm for two days but Eugene had his first one tomorrow and was currently attempting to cram an entire textbook into his brain.

 

“Sure,” Snafu answered as he gratefully escaped from his own textbooks and notes.

 

Snafu had made it to the desk and picked up the textbook before he paused and thought back to what Eugene had just said to him.

 

“Mer?” Eugene asked again, tired eyes still glued to his laptop.

 

“Right, sorry,” he muttered before he handed Eugene his textbook.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Snafu sat back down on Eugene’s bed and watched Eugene for a moment while he thought over what his boyfriend had just said.

 

“Yes?” Sledge asked with a slight grin. “You might think you’re being subtle but I can feel your eyes on me.”

 

“Sorry,” Snafu apologized before he collapsed onto his back, avoiding most of Eugene’s school work.

 

“You clearly have something on your mind so why don’t you just spill?” Eugene muttered as he typed furiously away at his keyboard.  “You’re not very good at hiding shit.”

 

“Shut up,” Snafu grumbled before he turned his head to his side so that he could better stare at Eugene. “It’s not really important. Just thinking…”

 

“’bout what?”

 

“Since when did you start callin’ me ‘Mer’?” Snafu wondered aloud. “Not that it bothers me or nothing, just realized you call me that now.”

 

“I guess I don’t really know,” Eugene admitted as he took a pause from his work and finally looked at Snafu. “Maybe figured I should call you your name instead of some weird nickname.”

 

“What’chu got against weird nicknames _, Sledgehammer_?” Snafu asked with a toothy grin.

 

“Nothing,” he answered with a soft smile and a shake of his head. “Where did ‘Snafu’ even come from?”

 

“I think it might’ve come from my brother when we were growing up,” Snafu answered with a shrug. “Kinda fuzzy to be honest but it was probably him.”

 

“Beau?”

 

“Yeah. He hated me when were kids,” Snafu said with a stupid grin. “But then again I was a little shit.”

 

“You? _Never.”_

 

“Shut it, Sledge,” Snafu said as he half-heartedly swatted at Eugene’s leg. “But I think he and his friends heard what S.N.A.F.U. stood for one day and he and his friends decided it’d be clever to call his shit little brother that. Everyone at school would hear it when he’d come pick me up to walk me home and it stuck, even though most people didn’t know what it meant for years, myself included. Eventually me and my brother stopped fighting but he had been calling me that for so long, it was too late to change it.”

 

“You don’t mind though?” Eugene asked as Snafu reached out and absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down Eugene’s outstretched leg.

 

“Hmm?” Snafu mumbled as he stared up at the ceiling.

 

“If I call you ‘Mer’?” Eugene clarified. “No one else calls you your name. Just didn’t know if it’d be weird.”

 

“Go for it,” Snafu said before he turned his head to look up at Eugene and grinned. “As long as I can still call you ‘Sledgehammer’.”

 

“You’re a pain in the ass,” Eugene sighed.

 

“Just admit that you love being called ‘Sledgehammer’, _Sledgehammer_ ,” Snafu insisted.

 

“If you don’t be quiet soon and leave me to my work I’m kicking you outta here, Shelton,” Eugene warned.

 

“Oh so it’s _Shelton_ now?”

 

“Yeah because you’re pissing me off,” Eugene declared but the hint of a smile on his face told Snafu that he actually wasn’t annoyed, not yet anyhow. “Now are you going to behave or not?”

 

“Since when have I ever _behaved_?” Snafu asked as he sat up with his usual brand of Snafu swagger.

 

“Since you became completely whipped by ninety pounds of ginger,” Sidney declared as he strolled into the room with a cocky smirk on his face.

 

“Who asked you, Phillips?” Snafu asked with a growl while Sledge chuckled.

 

“Down, Mer,” Eugene said sternly. “Sid, you should know better than to taunt him.”

 

“But it’s so much fun,” Sidney said as he tossed his bag on top of his desk.

 

“Do it while I’m not trying to study,” Eugene suggested as he returned to his work. “Or take it outside.”

 

“What do you say, Phillips?” Snafu asked with a grin. “You wanna take this outside?”

 

“No way. I know you, Shelton, you’d fight dirty,” Sid exclaimed as he held his hands in the air. “Now I may be able to beat Eugene’s scrawny greaser butt but I don’t know about you.”

 

“I let you win to make you feel good about yourself,” Eugene sighed without looking away from his textbook. “Ask Mer, I do the same for him. Helps boost his self-esteem.”

 

“Okay, I do not need to know where or when or how you guess are ‘ _wrestling’_ ,” Sid said in a deadly serious tone with wide eyes. “You two can keep that between yourselves.”

 

“What’s the matter, Phillips? You telling me you and Sledge don’t stay up all night, braiding each other’s hair, swapping stories?”

 

“I can’t say that we do,” Sidney admitted. “But I guess you’d just assume we do that, seeing as that’s what you and Burgin do all night long: swapping stories, painting each other’s nails, reading your horoscopes. But it’s okay, you know, nothing wrong with that.”

 

As Snafu began to rise from the bed with a stiff expression on his face, Eugene reached out and grabbed hold of Snafu’s wrist.

 

“ _Sidney. Merriell_. Play nice or I’ll kick both of your asses out of here,” Eugene said firmly as he gave both men stern looks that made Sidney think of Doctor Sledge.

 

“ _‘Merriell’_?” Sidney asked with a smirk as he shouldered his book bag and made for the door. “Interesting.”

 

“Shut it, Phillips,” Snafu hissed.

 

Snafu flipped off Sidney as he left the dorm room with a laugh before Snafu collapsed on top of Eugene’s bed with a grumble. If Eugene noticed a faint smile come to his mouth that he was sure Snafu didn’t realize he could see, Eugene wouldn’t mention it.


	13. Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You crawl in here two nights in a row when it’s a typhoon outside, you’re tossing and turning whenever the rain hits the window and you jump because of the wind. Now tell me why you’re having such a hard time with the weather before I decide to actually go to class today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, this story starts off in 2010

* * *

Rain and wind continued to pound against the windows of Eugene’s dorm building as it had done all day long. Eugene was usually a deep sleeper, so the rattling of windows and the howling winds from outside really didn’t bother him as he slept Wednesday night. However, one would have to be a very heavy sleeper if he did not notice a fully grown young man climbing into his bed.

 

“Mer?” Eugene grunted as he was jolted away. “Wassamadder?”

 

“Shh,” Snafu hissed as he crawled over Eugene’s side and collapsed so that he was in between Eugene and the wall.

 

Eugene watched through half-opened eyes as Snafu slipped under the warm blankets before he crawled underneath one of Eugene’s arms. He flicked his eyes up at Eugene and he found it impossible not to smirk at Snafu. The other man shot Eugene a look that clearly told him to shut up before Snafu buried his face in Eugene’s t-shirt and wrapped his arms around his chest. Eugene let himself enjoy the warmth of his boyfriend for another moment before he spoke up.

 

“Mer? You know I enjoy this, I really do, but why are you here?” Eugene asked as he stared down at his curly dark locks.

 

“Shhhh,” Shelton repeated as he snuggled as close to Eugene as possible.

 

Eugene waited a few more moments but when the only response he received was the deep breathing of sleep, Eugene shook his head, curled tightly around Snafu, and went back to sleep.

 

In the morning, Eugene didn’t ask Snafu about what had happened the night before. He just kissed him good morning and asked if he wanted to grab breakfast before class. Eugene had an eight o’clock class that morning while Snafu had the rare chance to sleep in. Snafu declined with an annoyed grumble before he burrowed into Eugene’s comforter; he was definitely not a morning person.

 

“Asshole,” Eugene mumbled before he kissed Snafu’s hairline.

 

“Your own damn fault, you chose me,” he grumbled sleepily.

 

Eugene rolled his eyes before he left the room. When he returned later in the day, Snafu had left, he had probably attempted to make it to a class or two today, and when they got dinner that night there was no mention of the incident. After dinner they had watched some television together and when Eugene left for bed, he asked Snafu if he wanted to join him; Snafu declined with a roll of his eyes.

 

However, once again, Eugene was woken up in the middle of the night by Snafu as he crawled into his bed and into his arms. Eugene didn’t ask questions this time; he just wrapped his arms around him tightly and stroked his hair until he fell asleep.

 

The next day, Eugene woke up and found the skies black as buckets of water poured out onto the soggy ground and winds howled loud enough to rattle the windows. He thought of his lecture and how it required him leaving his room and going out into that shit. He then looked down at the man in his arms and smiled. It wouldn’t kill him to skip a lecture. So instead of going to lecture, he watched as Snafu slept. He seemed peaceful for the most part, except for when a particularly bad gust of wind rattled the windows, then his face crinkled and he tried to bury even deeper into the blankets. It didn’t just happen the one time. Every time he heard the wind howl or the rain beat against the window, Snafu looked clearly upset. It didn’t take a genius to figure what was wrong.

 

When Snafu finally woke up, he stared up at Eugene with a confused and sleepy expression that, when combined with his epic bed-head, created an image that was just too precious.

 

“Whatime issit?” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

 

“About ten-thirty,” Eugene answered as he ran his fingers lazily through his hair.

 

“Don’t you have class?”

 

“Skipped it.”

 

“ _Rebel_ ,” Snafu teased. “Well, since you skipped your class, I might as well too and then we can just stay in bed all day.”

 

“And do what?” Eugene asked innocently as he pressed his forehead against Snafu’s.

 

In answer, Snafu leaned forward and kissed Eugene sleepily. Eugene removed his hand from Snafu’s hair and slid it up and down his back as he melted against Snafu’s mouth. Everything was going perfectly until a particularly powerful gust of wind rattled the window and Snafu jumped and smacked his teeth against Eugene’s. Snafu went to continue with the kiss but before he could, Eugene placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed them away.

 

“Mer,” Eugene said firmly. “Stop.”

 

“Stop?” Snafu growled. “What the hell, Sledge?”

 

“Can you just cut the crap for once?” Eugene demanded as he raised himself up onto an elbow and stared down at Snafu. “You crawl in here two nights in a row when it’s a typhoon outside, you’re tossing and turning whenever the rain hits the window and you jump because of the wind. Now tell me why you’re having such a hard time with the weather before I decide to actually go to class today.”

 

Snafu turned onto his side and refused to look at him. The silence had gone on for too long and just when Eugene was sure that Snafu wasn’t going to talk, he spoke quietly to the wall.

 

“Ya know, we were lucky, we got out before it got really bad,” Snafu started off. “We went up north to my Aunt and Uncles house; granted it was still pretty shitty up there but it was a little safer, less flooded… I was thirteen so it wasn’t like some scared little kid or nothing, but the twins, they were just barely passed being toddlers. The winds still rattled the house and the rain never seemed to stop… they were terrified. I had to look out for them, make sure they were okay, try to explain why we couldn’t go home and we had to leave most of their toys.” Snafu paused for a moment and glanced at Eugene out of the corner of his eye, as if he were making sure that Eugene was paying attention. Eugene couldn’t help but notice an odd look flicker across his pale eyes as he looked up at Eugene, but it was gone with a blink. Snafu let out a deep breath before he rolled onto his back and moved closer to Eugene. “Beau was away at school at LSU when it happened. We couldn’t reach him for days. The twins were inconsolable, my mom got angry like she always did when she was upset, my dad was trying to keep us calm and together… and I… well, we just didn’t know. You heard news stories about the wreckage. People from our neighborhood were on the news looking for relatives who were presumed dead…” Eugene reached out and gave Snafu’s hair a soft stroke, not wanting to crowd him if he didn’t want the attention; Snafu leaned into the touch so he continued. “We didn’t hear from him for a week. When we finally were able to get back home, our house was basically destroyed along with most of the shit we left in the house.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Eugene apologized although he knew it did little. “I’m glad you told me about it though.”

 

Snafu responded with a grunt before he rolled on to his side and rested his head underneath Eugene’s chin. Eugene wrapped an arm around Snafu’s shoulders and refrained himself from stating that he’d protect Snafu from the storms.

 

“I’m not afraid of it or nothing. I just don’t like it,” Snafu mumbled as he moved, if possible, closer to Eugene. “We don’t have to lay here all day, Eugene. I know you’re classes are important. You can go. And I won’t bother you. I can sleep by myself, done it for years, I just figured-”

 

“Mer,” Eugene said as he cut Snafu off from his mumbling rant. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me. And who in their right might would want to go outside in this shit? Especially when they can lay in bed all day like this? It’s okay. I’m really just glad you told me.”

 

“You know what this means, right?” Snafu mumbled against Eugene’s chest.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You gotta divulge some secret to me.”

 

“I already told you the story about how I threw up on the bathroom floor on Halloween and tried to hide it from my mom because I knew she wouldn’t let me trick-or-treat,” Eugene yawned as he let his eyes flutter closed. “What else do you want from me?”

 

“That wasn’t a very good story if you ask me.”

 

“Well I had a boring childhood.”

 

“Figures.”

 

“Listen, next time I create some interesting secret, I’ll be sure that you’re the first to know.”

 

“That’s all I ask.”

 

As Snafu listened to Eugene’s breathing slow down and even out he couldn’t help but notice the wind and the rain outside didn’t bother him as much.


	14. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t want to leave.

* * *

Eugene walked out into the fourth floor hallway and paused to take in the unusual quiet that had taken over the usually rowdy hallway. All of the residences of the fourth floor were either taking a final or they had already left. He realized as he walked down the hallway that this would probably be the last time he would ever be inside the building. Sidney was waiting outside in his car, their things packed tightly inside of it, ready to return back home to Alabama for the summer. Eugene had returned one last time to triple check the room, despite what Sidney said about how he already checked every nook and cranny for any of their possessions.

 

As Eugene entered his former room, he glanced at the time: it was just after two in the afternoon. He frowned as he put his phone back into his pocket; he knew it was only two but he dared to hope it was later.

 

Snafu was in the middle of his last final; he would be leaving tomorrow morning, where he would return back to Louisiana. They had seen each other this morning over breakfast, after which they had said their goodbyes, knowing that they wouldn’t see each other again after that for who knew how long. They had said they would text and call and Skype and at some point there would be road trips to visit each other, although there was nothing set in stone yet. They had teased each other for the past week or two how now that they’d be separated they’d realize how annoying the other was and leave them. Eugene had put on a brave face this morning when he said goodbye but if he were honest with himself, he was upset.

 

He didn’t want to leave.

 

It wasn’t just because of Snafu, no, it was about all the bonds he had made this past year on the fourth floor. Bill and Burgie and Jay and Snafu, all of them were important. Sure, he’d see them all again in September and possibly even before that, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same next year. He and Sid had found themselves a nice apartment to live in come fall and Burgie and Snafu had gotten an apartment on the other side of campus and Jay and Bill were going to live on campus again next year but they didn’t even know if they were going to live in the same dorm yet.

 

Everything was changing again. He had just gotten used to change.

 

Eugene glanced at his phone again: it was quarter after two now. Snafu would be done with his exam by three at the earliest. He knew he was stalling and if he didn’t get going soon Sid would be up here and drag him down to the car himself. However, when Eugene turned around, he found he wasn’t alone.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eugene asked as a grin came to his face.

 

“Just watching this sad sack mope around his empty dorm room,” Snafu answered from where he stood, leaning against the open doorframe.

 

Eugene didn’t say anything else. Instead, he marched forwards, gripped Snafu’s face in-between his hands, and kissed him. He could feel Snafu’s smile under his lips and it made him smile in return.

 

“I thought you wouldn’t be done with your final until at least three,” Eugene said as he rested his forehead against Snafu’s

 

“Maybe I just said that to make you sweat,” Snafu muttered with a shrug. “Or maybe I just kicked that exam’s ass and finished it in no time.”

 

“I’m more inclined to believe the first one,” Eugene admitted. “You’re kind of an asshole.”

 

“And yet you stick with me.”

 

“Stick with you? Can’t wait to get rid of you.”

 

“Says the guy stalling around the dorm waiting for me when he should be long gone by now.”

 

“…shut up,” Eugene mumbled before he let his head fall so that it rested on his shoulder with his face pressed into his neck. Snafu wrapped his arms around his waist and he let out a sigh at the feeling of arms around him before he said out loud the one phrase neither had said to each other, both too embarrassed or unsure or bullheaded to say. “I’m gonna miss you, Mer.”

 

“…I’ll miss you too, Eugene."


	15. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s up? Are you okay?”
> 
> “Well, I guess I am now.”
> 
> “…what do you mean by ‘now’?”
> 
> “I’m… at the hospital,"

* * *

It was about two in the morning and there was next to nothing on the television. The internet and its medley of social media sites weren’t holding his attention either and none of his video games seemed as if they’d entertain him in any. Snafu had just turned off the television, resigned to an early night by summer standards, when his cell phone began to chirp.

 

‘Eugene’ lit up on his caller I.D.

 

“Hey, Eugene,” Snafu said as a smile pulled at his lips.

 

_“I didn’t wake you up did I?”_ Eugene asked in response.

 

“No,” Snafu answered as he switched the television back on to give his room some light. “You sound, exhausted, Eugene, maybe you should get to sleep.”

 

_“I will soon, I just needed to call.”_

 

“What’s up? Are you okay?”

 

_“Well, I guess I am now.”_

 

“…what do you mean by ‘now’?”

 

There was a pause and a sigh that made Snafu’s stomach lurch. His dad always said that no good news came after two in the morning.

 

“Eugene.”

 

_“I’m… at the hospital,_ ” Eugene answered in a hesitant voice.

 

“You’re _where?_ ” Snafu exclaimed with wide eyes.

 

_“I’m at the hospital_ ,” Eugene repeated in a tone that seemed to say that he slightly regretted calling Snafu at this point. _“But I’m fine, Mer, I’m totally-”_

 

“What happened?” he demanded as he jumped off of his bed and picked up a pair of discarded pants from the floor an attempted to pull them on with one hand. “Are you okay?”

 

“ _Yes, Mer, I’m fine!”_ Eugene exclaimed in exasperation.

 

“What happened then?” Snafu repeated as he stumbled around his room as he attempted to pull on a pair of socks while standing up.

 

“ _I had an attack_ ,” Eugene informed him in a calm tone of voice. _“You know, with my heart.”_

“Don’t you have medication to stop that shit from happening?” he growled as he shoved his feet into a pair of tennis shoes; he let out a growl when he attempted to jam his right foot into his left shoe.  “You said you carried that shit around with you everywhere.”

 

_“I do and I took the medicine but my parents got worried so they admitted me to the hospital,_ ” Eugene finished. “ _I promise I’m fine. My mom just really overreacted; blew it completely out of proportion and my dad had no choice but to agree with her when she was so upset. I haven’t had any problems in a long time so it was kind of a shock to everyone… but I’m okay, I promise you. I just thought I should call and let you know.”_

 

“I’m coming,” Snafu declared as he grabbed his wallet and car keys and made for the side door.

_“What?”_ Eugene exclaimed. “ _That’s ridiculous, Mer, I’ll be discharged in the morning! That’s like eight hours from now.”_

 

“Don’t care, I’m going, I’ll be there in three hours,” he said stubbornly as he jumped into his car.

 

_“You don’t even know how to get here,”_ Eugene protested

 

“There this beautiful invention called GPS, Sledge, maybe you should try it from time to time,” Snafu said as he drove down his quiet street.

 

_“Mer_ ,” Eugene tried again after a pause in a gentler tone. “ _You_ really _don’t have to come. I’m really okay. I appreciate the gesture but you don’t have to.”_

 

“Do you not want me to come or something?” Snafu asked as he paused at a red light. “Like, you don’t want me to meet your family or some shit?”

 

“ _What? No. Of course I want you to meet them. I would like it to happen under different circumstances but-”_

 

“But what?”

 

“ _Snaf. You’re driving three hours blindly into the night, hundreds of miles… gas isn’t cheap you know. And I can’t imagine your parents are gonna be very happy when they find out about this… and it’s not like I’m sick and dying. It’s just sort of a waste-”_

 

“Eugene, if you actually do not want to see me, tell me and I’ll turn around right now,” Snafu said as he pulled onto the highway while he waited for Eugene to tell him to turn around, tell him he didn’t want to see him, tell him that in the four weeks that they had been apart from each other he realized that he didn’t want to be with Snafu anymore. After almost a minute of silence, Snafu let out a deep breath while he tried to get rid of some of the tension in his gut. “Well?”

 

_“… I would like to see you again_ ,” Eugene sighed.

 

“Well then I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”


	16. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snafu knew that this decision was the right one because it brought him back to Eugene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. Sorry. I just got really busy with shit and other projects

* * *

Snafu, despite his best efforts, had to stop an hour and a half into the journey. His car needed fuel and he couldn’t deny the fact that his body was out of fuel as well. Luckily for him as a teenage boy, he had absolutely no problem refueling his body on beef jerky, gas station nachos, and an overpriced energy drink. As he was being rung out by a haggard looking boy who looked a few years older than him, Snafu reached out and quickly added a packet of skittles to the mix. Frankly, he found skittles and their sickly sweet, grainy texture sort of disgusting, but for whatever reason, Eugene seemed to love them.

 

He checked the time as he pumped gas; urban legends of cellphones starting gas stations fires be damned. It was close to four in the morning now. Eugene had sent him a text with the name and address of the hospital he was staying at along with a request to _please_ drive safely. Snafu grinned at the text before he pocketed his phone, drank half of his energy drink in one go, and got back into his car.

 

It was an hour after the gas station that Snafu found himself lost on some route in southern Alabama. He went to call Eugene and had almost dialed him number when he realized it was around five in the morning and he was probably asleep. Grumbling heavily, Snafu drove until he found a 24-hour McDonalds where he could mooch off of their free wi-fi and get proper directions to the hospital.

 

He was sliding back into his car with a mouthful of fresh, salty French fries when Snafu pulled out his cell phone and sent Eugene a quick text message.

 

**Be there in an hour**

 

Snafu started up the car again and was about to shift it into drive when his phone chirped with a new text message. It was from Eugene.

 

**Eugene: You’re taking your time getting here. Lost?**

 

Snafu frowned at the screen. He could just imagine the smug look on Eugene’s face as he typed the message. He didn’t answer him. Instead, he went a different route.

 

**Shouldn’t you be asleep? Don’t you need your rest?**

Eugene responded quickly.

 

**Eugene: Shouldn’t you not be texting and driving? It’s kind of unsafe.**

**I’m not driving right now.**

**Eugene: well then you’re not gonna get here very fast, are you?**

**Shut up, Eugene.**

 

Snafu tossed his cell phone onto the empty seat next to him before he pulled out of the parking lot and returned to the highway.

 

It was relaxing, driving by himself. There were hardly any cars on the road at this late, or early depending on how you looked at it, hour and it gave him time to clear his head. He thought about Eugene and how this time last year he hadn’t even been aware that Eugene Sledge existed and now he would do almost anything for him without a second thought. He thought about how before Eugene, he couldn’t imagine himself driving blindly into the night over state lines to visit anyone in a hospital when they weren’t even in a dire condition, except for maybe his immediate family. Snafu thought about the fact that there hadn’t been a single day where they hadn’t talked or texted or Skyped or communicated in some way, even if it were just an exchange or two.

 

Snafu never had someone like that before. Someone who he just dropped everything over without a second’s thought.

 

It was kind of scary, knowing someone had that kind of power over him.

 

However, he knew it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eugene would never take advantage of his devotion. Snafu trusted Eugene.

 

As he pulled off of the highway on the exit for the hospital, sun rise coloring the sky in a hue of beautiful colors, Snafu knew that this decision, this crazy, split second decision that he was sure to get reamed out for in an hour when his parents awoke and realized he was gone, was the right one because it brought him back to Eugene.


	17. Hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene woke abruptly to the noises of a commotion going on outside of his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I think this might be the grossest and fluffiest chapter I've written.

* * *

Eugene woke abruptly to the noises of a commotion going on outside of his room. He could hear raised voices, older women, the nurses who had been checking up on him, and a younger, gruffer, male voice, one he recognized and made his stomach lurch.

 

_Mer._

 

Eugene reached out for his cell phone and checked the time; it wasn’t even seven in the morning. He should have been groggy and exhausted, since he hardly slept at all last night, but with the sound of Merriell Shelton yelling and fighting just outside of his door, he felt more awake and energized than he had in a long time. Eugene swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed, grabbed the annoying and tedious I.V. stand and moved towards the door as quickly as he could.

 

 _“You’re going to have to leave now, sir, before we’re forced to call security_ ,” said one of the nurses in a commanding tone.

_“No. I’m not leaving. Why can’t you just tell me what room he’s in?”_

_“If you come back at eight o’clock when visiting hours start-”_

_“I just drove four fucking hours straight I am not waiting any longer-”_

_“Sir-!”_

 

Eugene sighed as he listened to his boyfriend verbally fight with the nurses; he just couldn’t behave, could he? As he heard the grumble of what must’ve been hospital security, Eugene opened the door and hoped Snafu wouldn’t get arrested before he could see him.

 

It seemed he had opened the door in the nick of time. Standing about twenty feet away in front of the nurses station was Snafu, who not only looked pissed off but looked as if he were about to be taken away by the large security guard.

 

“He knows I’m coming here! If you won’t let me see him will you at least tell him that you guys wouldn’t let me see him and forced me off of the property?” Snafu persisted angrily, his back to Eugene.

 

“Sir, I’m going to have to escort you off of the premises-”

 

“Wait!” Eugene called out as the security guard placed a firm hand on Snafu’s shoulder.

 

Snafu, the three harassed-looking nurses, and the older security guard turned around to look at Eugene from where he stood in the doorway. His eyes instantly locked with Snafu, who smiled, bit his lip, tilted his head down, and looked up at him through his lashes, something Eugene had noticed him doing before after had been caught misbehaving. It seemed to be Snafu’s way of making himself look innocent and damn it all but it worked on Eugene.

 

“Eugene, you should be in bed, go back to sleep,” said one of the nurses in a slightly warmer tone.

 

“I just… can he come into my room?” Eugene asked politely. “I know visiting hours haven’t started yet but he’s driven so long-”

 

“I don’t know think your parents would approve of that, Eugene,” started another nurse.

 

“I’m not a kid. I’m nineteen. Legally, my parents should have any hold over you,” Eugene sighed. “My dad’s not gonna fire you over this. Hell, he won’t even care. It’s my mom you’re gonna have to worry about.”

 

Eugene stared at the nurses for another moment before he attempted to pull out the old puppy dog look that would get him most things he wanted when he was little; he hadn’t had any reason to use it for years.

 

“Please? Mer, he just wants to make sure I’m okay. That’s all,” Eugene said. “Are you really gonna turn him out on his ass just because he’s concerned?”

 

The nurses exchanged a series of stern and silent looks amongst each other before they looked at the guard, who still had a steady grip on Snafu’s upper arm, and motioned for him to let him go.

 

“Make sure to be quiet,” warned the most harassed looking nurse as she took her seat behind the nurse’s station. “It’s still very early and most people are still asleep.”

 

“Thank you,” Eugene said gratefully before he watched with barely contained glee as Snafu walked over to him; if felt like a lifetime since he had last seen him.

 

Somehow, they refrained from having a scene in the doorway of his hospital room and managed to close the door firmly behind them before Snafu was grabbing at his face and kissing and biting his mouth. It had only been a month since they last saw each other, but after spending almost every free moment together for months, the distance was a little difficult to deal with. Eugene gripped Snafu’s waist carefully, making sure he didn’t hurt his hand with the I.V. and couldn’t help but grin as Snafu kissed him. After a few moments of this, Eugene placed his hands on Snafu’s chest, breaking them apart gently. Eugene reached up and cupped his face while Snafu rested his forehead against Eugene’s.

 

“You look like a zombie,” Eugene teased.

 

“I’ve been up for twenty-something hours straight along with driving for four hours,” Snafu grumbled before he tugged at Eugene’s hospital gown. “You don’t look all that much better. Nice threads you got there, Eugene.”

 

“Shut up, Mer,” Eugene sighed, feeling too tired to properly react to his teasing.

 

Eugene looked into Snafu’s eyes and found Snafu staring at him with his usual intense pale-eyed stare that often gave Eugene pause. He felt his heart stutter slightly and he ducked his head, resting it on Snafu’s shoulder while he buried his face into his neck.

 

“Quit staring at me,” Eugene muttered before he glanced at Snafu out of the corner of his eye and found him still staring. “What?”

 

“… Are you really okay?” he asked quietly.

 

“Yes, Mer, I’m fine,” Eugene said with a nod. “You don’t have to worry.”

 

Snafu nodded before he tightened his hold on Eugene and buried his face into his hair; Eugene couldn’t help but chuckle when he felt a kiss placed on top of his head. He wished they could stay there forever but when Snafu let out a loud yawn, he knew what needed to be done. Eugene reached down and gripped one of Snafu’s hands before he took a step back and gave him a tug towards his hospital bed. Snafu gave him a mildly confused look at the motion.

 

“What?” Eugene asked. “I’m tired, you’re dead on your feet, there’s a bed right there. C’mon.”

 

“Uh, are you sure those _lovely_ nurses outside would be happy to have me sharing your hospital bed?” Snafu asked as he followed Eugene.

 

“They’re more bark than bite, let me tell you,” he said as he tugged Snafu across the room.

 

“What happens if your parents come in?” Snafu asked as Eugene got situated on the bed, careful of his I.V. “Mama and Papa Sledge gonna be happy with me cuddling up on their baby boy? Not to mention I’m here unannounced and all that shit.”

 

“To be completely honest, I don’t really care what my parents will think,” Eugene said with a roll of his eyes. “If they have a problem with it, I’ll deal with it when and if it happens but right now, I’m exhausted and so are you so get over here so we can get some sleep.”

 

“Mmm, love it when you get bossy,” Snafu joked with a cocky smirk.

 

In response, Eugene gave him a dry look that seemed to say, ‘I’m going to have you thrown out of here if you don’t shut up and get into the bed’. Smiling almost in a shy manner, Snafu climbed into the bed behind Eugene and wrapped his arms around his waist as he buried his face in the back of his neck. He took in a deep breath of Eugene’s scent and felt his body instantly relax. Snafu closed his eyes as felt the thin hospital blanket being thrown over his shoulders and he let out an involuntary sigh as Eugene pressed his body against his.

 

Eugene grabbed one of Snafu’s hands from off of his waist and laced their fingers together tightly while he couldn’t help the stupid, giddy smile that was plastered on his face. Eugene closed his eyes and was just about to fall asleep when Snafu mumbled something against the back of his neck.

 

“What was that?” Eugene asked as he cracked an eye open.

 

“…I missed you,” Snafu mumbled quietly.

 

“I missed you too.”

 

Eugene smiled warmly when he felt a pair of lips press against the back of his neck and gave their joined hands a squeeze before he fell into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in weeks.


	18. Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene yawned before he opened his eyes and saw something that made almost all of the warm, fuzzy feelings go completely out the window.
> 
> “Good morning, Eugene,” his mother said in a slightly tense tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugggghhhh. School's really kicking my ass right now guys, sorry.

* * *

When Eugene woke up sometime later, he felt warm, rested, and content. He gave Snafu’s hand a gentle squeeze and smiled when he received a lax squeeze in return. Eugene yawned before he opened his eyes and saw something that made almost all of the warm, fuzzy feelings go completely out the window.

 

“Good morning, Eugene,” his mother said in a slightly tense tone.

 

Eugene grimaced while he felt something akin to panic fill him. He remembered how he had told Snafu he didn’t care what his mother would think if she saw them but he had been lying through his teeth; his mother could be rather intimidating when she wanted to be.

 

Slowly, Eugene untangled himself from Snafu with minimal movement and sat up in bed. He attempted to look innocent but he just didn’t think it worked, especially when Snafu threw his arm over his waist and buried his face into his hip.

 

“Um, morning, mom.”

 

“I was told you had a visitor who would not take no for an answer,” his mother said with a frozen expression.

 

“Yeah… I called him to let him know I was in the hospital and he just jumped in his car and drove here.”

 

“Did you tell him that you weren’t dying?”

 

“Yes, mom, but he really wanted to see me,” he said. “Like you said before, he just wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

 

“Hmm…” Mrs. Sledge mumbled before she walked to the other side of the room, heals clacking loudly on the hard hospital floor, and opened up the curtains, pouring bright rays of sunlight into the room. Eugene winced and Snafu grumbled and shifted against him. Eugene looked down and watched as Snafu slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed Eugene staring down at him he smirked.

 

“What time is it?” Snafu yawned as he closed his eyes again.

 

“Quarter after ten,” Mrs. Sledge answered.

 

Eugene watched as Snafu eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. He wanted to laugh at his bedhead and the barely contained panic in his eyes. It almost became impossible not to burst into laughter when Snafu hopped off of the bed as if he had been electrocuted. Eugene had never seen Snafu look as uncomfortable as he did now, under the sharp gaze of his mother and looking extremely rumpled.

 

“Um, Mer, this is my mother,” Eugene stated weakly as he motioned to his mother. “Mom, this is Merriell, my boyfriend.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Snafu said politely while he attempted to flatten down his completely out of control curls.

 

Eugene saw Snafu’s hand twitch upwards as if he were about to extend his hand toward his mother but the moment seemed to die before it completely followed through. For a long moment there was only silence between the three of them. They were only rescued when the door opened and in walked Eugene’s father, Dr. Sledge.

 

“Ah! You’re all awake, that’s perfect,” he said with a warm smile as he breezed into the room. He stopped at Eugene’s bedside and placed a hand on his youngest son’s shoulder. “How are you feeling today, Eugene?”

 

“I feel fine, dad,” Eugene answered.

 

“Good, good,” Dr. Sledge nodded before he turned to Snafu and extended his hand out toward him, still smiling. “And you must be Merriell.”

 

“Uh, yeah, nice to meet you, Dr. Sledge,” Snafu said as he accepted the hand and shook it.

 

“Heard you had quite the drive here.”

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Snafu mumbled.

 

“You must be exhausted,” Dr. Sledge remarked. “Well, once Eugene’s changed then we can all go back home and you two can rest up some.”

 

“Oh, that’s not necessary-”

 

“Nonsense. We can’t just let you go so quickly,” Dr. Sledge said. “Besides, I want to spend some more time with the boy Eugene can’t stop talking about.”

 

“ _Dad_ ,” Eugene hissed, looking a bit red around the ears.

 

“Now, let’s get this I.V. out,” Eugene’s father said as he breezed over his sons slight embarrassment and went about removing his son’s I.V. with a quick and clinical precision. “So, Mary,” he said as he turned to his wife, “how about we give them some privacy while Eugene gets ready and then we can meet them downstairs in the lobby and then we can be on our way back home.” He then turned to look at Eugene and Snafu. “Does that sound alright with you boys?”

 

“Sounds fine, dad,” Eugene answered.

 

“Good.”

 

“Eugene I brought you a change of clothes,” his mother said as his father placed a gentle hand on her waist and began leading her towards the door. She motioned to the chair that sat in the corner where a brown bag sat. Eugene nodded while Snafu watched as Eugene’s parents left the room, leaving them alone.

 

“So, those are my parents,” Eugene sighed as he stared at the closed door.

 

“They seem… nice,” Snafu muttered. “You’re dad’s a lot nicer than I expected though. He seemed pretty tickled by this whole thing.”

 

“Yeah, he’s definitely more relaxed than mom is,” Eugene said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and made his way to the chair where the bag of his clothes laid. “My mom means well but she comes off a lot harsher than she probably means to be.”

 

“I think your mother is very well aware of how harsh she comes off as, Eugene,” Snafu said with a smirk. “She’s got to be protective of his baby boy. Doesn’t want you to get all corrupted by big bad me from Louisiana.”

 

“Shut up, Mer,” Eugene said with a roll of his eyes before he made his way to the small bathroom to change.

 

When Eugene emerged from the room five minutes later, he found Snafu sitting on the chair in the corner, cell phone in hand, and with a frown on his face.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Uh, I just checked my phone and I’ve got about fifteen texts from my mom and dad along with about twenty missed calls and eleven voice mails, half of which are claims that they’re going to call the police and declare me missing if I don’t contact them within twenty-four hours.”

 

“You didn’t tell your parents you were coming?” Eugene asked with wide eyes.

 

“I may have forgotten to write a note on my way out.”

 

“Mer, it’s a wonder how you made it this far in life.”

 

“Shut up,” Snafu muttered as he got up and out of the chair. “Let’s get out of here. I wanna see what your place is like.”

 

“Alright but the second we get back to my place you’re calling your mother and letting he know that you’re alright.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Snafu muttered with a roll of his eyes as they exited the hospital room.

 

On the way out, Snafu flashed a grin at the nurses at the nurses stations, all of whom set him less than pleased expressions, his commotion from earlier in the day still obviously fresh in their minds. Eugene and Snafu met his parents down in the lobby and together they walked into the parking garage.

 

“I’ll ride with, Mer,” Eugene said. “Show him where the place is.”

 

“Alright,” Mrs. Sledge said with a tense nod. “Drive carefully.”

 

“I will, ma’am,” Snafu said before he and Eugene climbed into his car. Once they were buckled and on the way out of the garage, Snafu turned to look at Eugene. “I could have gotten to your house just fine. You just wanted more alone time with me.”

 

“Damn straight,” Eugene said in a serious tone that took Snafu slightly off guard. “Once we get back to my place my mother’s not going to let us out of her sight. You’re about to be put through the wringer, Mer. You sure you don’t want to just drop me off and make a run for it?”

 

“Of course not,” he said before he reached across the gear shift and gripped Eugene’s hand. “I’m gonna have to do this eventually right? Might as well get it out of the way while I can.”

 

“Whatever you say, Mer.”


	19. Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His heart beat increased with every step that they took toward the dining room but, like Eugene had said, he would be fine. Or at least, he hoped he would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... to be fair, there's a note at the bottom of each chapter, telling you to expect weird updates... so... yeah
> 
> this chapters kinda, not what i wanted, but I wanted to update something and i'm gonna be busy again for the next two days so i just wanted to get this out before i disappeared

When Snafu and Eugene pulled up to the edge of the Sledge’s property, Snafu couldn’t say he was surprised by the magnitude of the property but he was impressed. He knew Eugene’s mother came from money and with a doctor father to boot, Snafu knew that they were bound to have an impressive home. The Sledge home rested on what appeared to be several acres of land and was a magnificently grand white house that looked as if it belonged to a southern aristocrat. Snafu had never been ashamed of his middle class upbringings and it had never felt like an issue with Eugene before, until now, when the physical representation of their differences was slammed into his face.

 

“I know,” Eugene grimaced as they pulled up to the house, face downturned toward his lap, looking slightly uncomfortable. “It’s huge and fancy and we have, like, four cars-”

 

“It’s fine, Eugene,” Snafu chuckled while Eugene fidgeted. “I’m just lucky that now I can live the American dream and be a trophy boyfriend.”

 

“I wasn’t aware that was the American dream,” Eugene said as he looked at Snafu.

 

“Well, you grew up upper class so you wouldn’t know. But being raised middle class, you spend your childhood having your mom tell you to marry rich so you don’t have to worry about bills and get to take fancy vacations and shit,” Snafu said wisely.

 

“ _Marry_ huh?” Eugene asked with a raised eyebrow, grinning widely when Snafu started to flush.

 

“I-I, uh, it’s just a, a phrase, okay, Sledgehammer?” Snafu stuttered while he stared firmly ahead at the road, avoiding everything but Eugene’s face. “And it was a joke anyhow so-so-”

 

“So you can still go on fancy vacations if you’re just my trophy boyfriend,” Eugene said gently as Snafu slowed the car to a stop in front of the house and parked the car. Eugene reached out, gripped Snafu’s hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze before he smiled at him. “Come on. We can’t hide out in the car forever. You still have to call your mother.”

 

“Yeah, because that’s really gonna make me get out of the car,” Snafu grumbled as he turned the car off and got out of the car.

 

“You’re gonna have to see her eventually and I think it’d be best if you at least told her you were alive before she calls the police,” Eugene said wisely as they walked up the front stairs.

 

“It sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me, Eugene.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Once my mom knows I’m okay and I go back home, well, this might be the last that you see of me because she might kill me.”

 

“You’re over-exaggerating.”

 

“Yeah, because if you ran off in the middle of the night and drove through the state of Mississippi and didn’t tell your mom, she would be totally cool with it.”

 

“I don’t think she’d kill you though, maybe like batter up a bit but not kill,” Eugene said before he opened the front door and together they stepped inside.

 

The inside of the house was all clean, unscratched hardwood floors with expensive, pristine furniture and large, glass windows that filled the house with tons of bright, natural light. It was also extremely large and Snafu was sure three of his houses could fit into the Sledge’s house. He turned to Eugene and found him looking nervous and slightly uncomfortable. Snafu smiled at Eugene as he reached out and laced his fingers with Eugene’s.

 

“I like it,” he said.

 

“You do?”

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice.”

 

“Well… let me show you my room.”

 

“Your room, huh?” Snafu asked with a waggle of his eyebrows and a suggestive smirk that made Eugene roll his eyes.

 

“So you can have some privacy for your mom to bitch you out,” Eugene said flatly before he began pulling Snafu up the stairs.

 

“You have a twisted idea of foreplay, Sledgehammer.”

 

* * *

 

 

“So what’s the verdict?” Eugene asked thirty minutes later from where he sat on his bed while he watched as Snafu shoved his phone back into his pocket from his spot on the window seat. He had just had front row seats to Snafu’s mother tearing him a new one over the phone; Eugene could hear half of what his mother had said without the call being on speaker phone.

 

“I think it’s safe to say I’m grounded for all of the rest of the summer and probably all of winter break… and spring break. Probably some of next year’s summer break as well to be safe,” Snafu sighed as he rubbed his face, clearly exhausted.

 

“Well from what I heard, she didn’t sound like she was gonna kill you, so at least there’s that,” Eugene shrugged.

 

“Oh, no, she’s gonna make me wish I was dead,” Snafu said as he got up and began walking towards Eugene’s bed. “I’m gonna be on babysitting duty, become my twin sister’s personal taxi service for them and their friends, gonna have to scrub every inch of the house clean, become a fucking maid too.”

 

“Do you get to dress up in a maid outfit?” Eugene teased as Snafu sat down next to him on the bed.

 

“You know, you’re surprisingly kinky, Eugene,” Snafu said with a grin and he leaned against Eugene’s shoulder.

 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Eugene grinned as he leaned in closer to Snafu, their lips about to brush.

 

Snafu tipped his chin forward and closed the remaining space between them, sealing the kiss. He felt something flutter in his stomach but it quickly turned into a sickening, panicked feeling when he heard the sound of Eugene’s bedroom door opening. Like in the hospital, Snafu moved faster than he had thought possible and scrambled away from Eugene before Sledge seemed to realize what had happened. Snafu had managed to stumble a few feet away from the bed by the time the door had fully opened, revealing Mrs. Sledge, who looked completely unconvinced by Snafu.

 

“You called your mother?” she asked him.

 

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered as he unconsciously straightened his posture.

 

“Good. Lunch is ready downstairs if you two feel like joining us,” she said in a tone that told Snafu that it was not an offer but an order.

 

When he turned to leave, he looked at Eugene, feeling nervous while he smiled at him.

 

“It’s time to face the music, Mer,” he said as he got up from the bed.

 

“And by ‘music’ you mean the execution squad,” Snafu said.

 

“It’s not like you’re the only person who’s ever had to deal with this kind of thing before,” Eugene said as he placed a reassuring hand on the small of Snafu’s back. “You’ll be just fine.”

 

Eugene then pecked him on the cheek and led him out of his room and down the hall. His heart beat increased with every step that they took toward the dining room but, like Eugene had said, he would be fine. Or at least, he hoped he would be.


	20. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So Eugene tells me you’re from Louisiana."
> 
> “Yes, ma’am, I’m from New Orleans."
> 
> “And what about your family? What do your parents do?"

* * *

“So Eugene tells me you’re from Louisiana,” Mrs. Sledge started as they began their lunch in the grand dining room that Snafu felt was fit for a King’s celebration.

 

“Yes, ma’am, I’m from New Orleans,” Snafu answered politely while he refrained from fiddling with the napkin that sat before him. “I’ve lived there my whole life.”

 

“And what about your family?” Mrs. Sledge asked while she began cutting her meal but kept her eyes sharp on Snafu. "What do your parents do?"

 

“Uh, my mother is an administrative assistant at a dentist’s office and my father is a supervisor at a bank office,” Snafu said while he tried not to think of how unglamorous his parents sounded when compared to a doctor and a debutante.

 

“What bank does your father work at?”

 

“Liberty Bank,” Snafu answered.

 

“Hmm, Edward works at Bank Trust, which I think is much more reliable-”

 

“Mary it doesn’t matter what bank the man works at,” Dr. Sledge said, coming to Snafu’s rescue, as he sat down next to his wife, smiling at Snafu. “Now, Merriell, do you have any siblings?”

 

“Yes, sir, I have an older brother, Beau, who’s twenty-seven and then I have two little sisters, twin sisters, and they are eleven-years-old.”

 

“Edward, our oldest, is going to be twenty-five,” Dr. Sledge informed him; Snafu nodded, remembering Eugene telling him that bit of information before. “He and his wife just had their first child about a month ago; Evan, he’s a handful already.”

 

“My brother has a daughter,” Snafu said. “She’s gonna be three in October.”

 

“Really? Well look at you, both young uncles, brothers around the same age, you have more in common than I bet you thought,” Dr. Sledge chuckled as he dug into his lunch.

 

“Where does your brother work?” Mrs. Sledge asked as Snafu began to eat his meal.

 

“He works construction,” Snafu answered; he saw Mrs. Sledge raise an eyebrow and while he kept his face impassive he couldn’t help but tighten his unoccupied hand into a fist.

 

Thankfully, Eugene seemed to notice his discomfort and placed his hand on top of Snafu’s fist, soothing him almost instantly. Snafu turned and gave him a grateful look and Eugene smiled warmly at him before he laced his fingers with Snafu’s. He just didn’t understand how someone as sweet and caring as Eugene could have come from this stern woman before him.

 

“And what’s your major, Merriell?” Mrs. Sledge asked.

 

“I’m actually undecided right now,” Snafu answered calmly; he was unsurprised with the less than pleased look he received from Mrs. Sledge in return.

 

“Well there’s nothing wrong with that,” Dr. Sledge said, coming to his rescue once again. “No point committing to something unless you’re completely sure. Get all your basics taken care of and figure out what you want to do first.”

 

“That’s the plan,” Snafu said with a nod.

 

“Yes, well, you don’t want to spend too much time trying to decide or else you’re going to end up delaying your graduation.”

 

“He’s only in his first year, Mary, there’s nothing wrong with him not deciding yet. And besides, young adults nowadays have a lot of pressure to succeed. I’m sure he’s just trying to take this decision very seriously.”

 

Snafu turned to look at Eugene when he heard him let out a small sigh. Eugene leaned towards him and whispered, “I hate it when they talk about you like you’re not sitting three feet in front of them.”

 

“All parents do it,” Snafu said with a shrug.

 

“Eugene it’s rude to whisper,” Mrs. Sledge said as Eugene began to whisper something else to Snafu.

 

“You two were carrying on a conversation by yourselves, I don’t know why we can’t too,” Eugene retorted, earning a grin from Snafu and a frown from his mother. “Sorry.”

 

“Yes, well-”

 

Whatever it was that Mrs. Sledge was about to say was cut off with the sound of the opening front door. Dr. Sledge and Mrs. Sledge exchanged confused looks but their unspoken question was soon answered when Sidney Phillips arrived in the dining room, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“Well I had to see if the rumors were true. Snafu’s finally landed in Alabama,” Sidney said, looking tickled pink.

 

“What rumors? I _told_ you that Mer was here,” Eugene said with a roll of his eyes at his best friend.

 

“Figure of speech,” Sidney said before he turned to face Eugene’s parents and instantly snapped into the model young man his parents must have attempted to shape him into. “Dr. Sledge, Mrs. Sledge, I’m really sorry for interrupting.”

 

“Oh it’s fine, Sidney, you know you’re always welcome,” Dr. Sledge said. “Would you like to join us? We can get you a plate?”

 

“Ah, no thanks, Doc, I was just on my way into town to pick up something for my mom and I decided to stop by to say hi to the guys,” Sidney declined before he turned to Snafu. “Have you seen much of Mobile, Snaf?”

 

“Not much more than the hospital,” Snafu answered with a smirk.

 

“Well you and Eugene should come with me. We can give you a tour,” Sidney said brightly.

 

“Didn’t you say you needed to get something for your mother?” Mrs. Sledge asked. “Do you have time to be running around?”

 

“She doesn’t need it right away,” Sidney shrugged. “Come on, guys, what do you say? It’ll be fun.”

 

Eugene turned to look at Snafu with a grin on his face, looking excited at the idea of spending the day with his best friend and his boyfriend.

 

“What do you say, Mer?” Eugene asked, giving his hand a squeeze.

 

“Well, who knows when I’ll be back in Alabama?” Snafu smirked, thinking of his mother and her very strict grounding guidelines. “Let’s go for it.”

 

Grinning, Eugene sprung up from his seat with Snafu following after him as they left the dining room in a rush.

 

“Don’t stay out too late!” Mrs. Sledge called out from the dining room as the three boys rushed out the front door. “And behave yourselves!”

 

“We will, mom! Don’t worry!” Eugene called out before he closed the front door behind him and followed Sidney and Snafu down the steps.

 

The three boys quickly piled into Sidney’s shiny new car and quickly drove away from the Sledge household, grinning ear to ear while they began to discuss just how much trouble they could get into in downtown Mobile without alerting their parents.


	21. Swimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “CANNONBALL!”
> 
> “Dammit, Phillips, watch where you’re jumping,” Snafu yelled as Sidney resurfaced, grinning from ear to ear. “You damn near killed your best friend!”

* * *

_“CANNONBALL!”_

 

Next thing Eugene knew he was getting hit in the face with a large wave of water, coughing weakly when a large mouthful of the water forced its way down his throat. He closed his eyes against the water that rolled down his face while he tried to force the water out of his lungs.

 

“Hey, you okay?”

 

Eugene cracked an eye open while he continued to cough and found Snafu floating next to him, looking concerned. Eugene smiled as he cleared his throat of one last bout of lake water.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Eugene answered roughly.

 

“Dammit, Phillips, watch where you’re jumping,” Snafu yelled as Sidney resurfaced, grinning from ear to ear. “You damn near killed your best friend!”

 

“Ehhh, I’ve learned that Eugene ain’t as breakable as he appears,” Sidney shrugged before he lunged out and attempted to push Eugene underwater.

 

“Oh, now you’re asking for it!” Eugene exclaimed as he ripped Sidney’s hand off of his shoulders and used all of his weight to force his best friend under the water; he just managed to get the top of Sidney’s curly hair under the water before his best friend broke out of his grip and pushed away from him.

 

“Ya see, Snafu!” Sidney yelled as he resurfaced, kicking away out of arms reach from the two. “Eugene’s a killer.”

 

“You started it, asshole,” Eugene grinned before he childishly splashed a wave towards Sidney.

 

It was the evening now and after running around the town of Mobile for a couple of hours, Eugene, Sidney, and Snafu decided to cool off in the secret swimming hole he and Sidney had known of since their childhood. Eugene had never informed his mother of swimming in the lake, knowing she’d have a fit about him swimming in lake water that was probably filled with bacteria and claim it was unsafe, but he had a feeling his father knew what he was up to whenever he would arrive home with wet hair and damp clothes. Eugene and Sidney had given Snafu a tour of the town, showed him some favorite places to eat, where they had attended high school, wandered around some of the weird stores, until finally they decided to do something a little more fun. Sidney drove them to a thick forest area and lead Snafu through the thick, wild grass and trees, all the while Snafu grumbled and asked if this was how horror movies started, with an outsider being led into a secluded area in the south. Eugene had been pleased when he found the small lake empty; not a lot of people knew about the lake or chose to swim in it but Eugene wanted to enjoy their swim in peace.

 

The three boys stayed in the water, swimming and splashing and horsing around until the summer sun dipped behind the tree line and the sky when from blue to pink and orange and then purple. With pruney hands they pulled themselves out of the water and onto section of large rocks where they had set their clothes for safekeeping. Eugene sat down next to Snafu and grinned when he saw how exhausted his boyfriend looked.

 

“You look like you’re about to drop dead, Mer,” Eugene teased while he bumped his shoulder against Snafu’s.

 

“Well I’ve had kind of a long day,” he yawned before he let his head drop on top Eugene’s bare shoulder. “Been up for almost two days straight with only a couple hours nap, but I’m peachy. Totally ready to drive all the way back to New Orleans.”

 

“You are not driving all the way back, Mer,” Eugene said firmly. “Not tonight.”

 

“My mom’s gonna kick my ass if I don’t come back soon,” Snafu grumbled. “Not to mention I’m not exactly your mother’s favorite person.”

 

“Aw, Mrs. Sledge is just a little rough around the edges,” Sidney reassured him. “Very protective of our little Eugene here.”

 

“What do you mean _our_?” Sledge asked with a frown.

 

“Nothing. We’re just very protective of our little ginger buddy,” Sidney teased as he reached out to ruffle his damp hair. “I mean, look at Snafu here. He heard you were in the hospital and drove through the night to see you. Overreaction? Little bit. But we’re just trying to make sure you’re alright.”

 

“It was not an overreaction,” Snafu grumbled, head still resting on Eugene’s shoulder with his eyes closed. “Man’s in the hospital? That’s some serious shit.”

 

“But he was only in the hospital because Mrs. Sledge insisted that he stay,” Sidney reminded him. “Overreactions all across the board.”

 

“Okay you wanna talk about overreactions?” Eugene asked before Snafu could send a retort back at Sidney. “How about we talk about the first time I had an attack with just Sidney around.”

 

“Hmm?” Snafu asked, cracking an eye open.

 

“Aw, come on Eugene, that’s not fair,” Sidney argued, looking mildly embarrassed.

 

“You started it, Phillips,” Snafu said with a grin as he stared at Sidney with half-lidded eyes.

 

“I was seven years old!” Sidney exclaimed with a blush crept up his face. “I thought you were dead!”

 

“Aw, man, now I definitely want to hear this story,” Snafu said as he tilted his head to look up at Eugene. “Let’s hear it.”

 

“Okay so me and Sid were seven and we were playing outside after school one day, in these very woods in fact,” Eugene started with a wide grin as he thought back to that afternoon over a decade ago. “We’re racing when all of a sudden, I start to feel an attack come on and I tell Sidney that I need to stop because I don’t feel right-”

 

“Eugene,” Sidney groaned.

 

“I try to tell Sidney what’s going on but he keeps running, claiming that I know that I’m just gonna loose and want to call the race off because I was ‘a sore loser who need to learn how to accept defeat’.”

 

Eugene paused to grin at Sidney, who was now staring at him with a deep frown, looking less embarrassed and more annoyed than before.

 

“He keeps running, I stop and take my medicine and decide to lie down in the grass until I feel better because that’s what my parents always told me to do,” Eugene continued. “Now, the medicine I used to be on would make me really sleepy afterwards, so I ended up falling asleep in the grass. Next thing I know, I’m being _violently_ shaken awake while Sid’s _screaming_ in my ear, tears absolutely _pouring_ down his face.”

 

“What?” Snafu asked, looking between Sidney and Eugene.

 

“Sidney thought I died or something and was freaking out,” Eugene elaborated with a grin. “Tears and snot running down your face, crying about how sorry you were, entire body shaking like a leaf-”

 

“Well excuse me for getting a little freaked out thinking that my best friend just dropped dead in the middle of a forest and would have to tell you mother about it,” Sidney grumbled. “When you die for real I’ll try not to be as emotional about it.”

 

“What makes you think I’m going first?” Eugene asked with a huff.

 

“Well you’ve got health issues already-”

 

“Yeah but with you two watching me like a hawk as if I’m gonna drop dead any second, I think I’d make it a little longer than you,” Eugene insisted.

 

“Well maybe I should stop looking after you. Put more time and effort into looking after myself.”

 

“Okay, Sid, the day you manage to do that is the day I drop dead.”

 

“Can we stop fucking talking about people dropping dead?” Snafu snapped, eyes closed once again and frowning.

 

“Alright, alright,” Sidney said before he stood up and grabbed his bundle of clothes. “Let’s get you two back to your place and then get Snafu put to bed.”

 

“I’m not even gonna argue with that idea,” Snafu mumbled as he rubbed an eye sleepily; Eugene thought Snafu looked adorable, grumbling and sleepy, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, which caused a groan to erupt from Sidney.

 

Yawning and ambling through the forest slowly, they talked of grabbing something quick to eat from in town before Sidney returned them to Eugene’s house for the night. After stopping at a McDonald’s, Snafu scarfed down his McDouble in record time before he slumped against Eugene in the backseat of Sidney’s car and fell asleep.

 

“Is he out?” Sidney asked, glancing into the rearview mirror at the two.

 

“Yup,” Eugene answered, smiling softly at Snafu while he carefully wrapped an arm protectively around his waist. “He’s had a long day.”

 

“I’ll say,” Sidney said. There was a long pause before Sidney spoke again, this time in a much more serious tone. “You know, I’m kinda surprised he came all the way out here for you.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Eugene answered with his eyes still locked on Snafu’s form. “When I called him I didn’t do it thinking he’d come to check on me, especially when I told him that I was completely okay.”

 

“But are you glad he did come?” Sidney asked seriously.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m really glad he did,” Eugene answered softly, feeling warm and happier than he had in a while. “I missed him.”

 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever told you but two really are good together,” Sidney said, eyes popping up in the rearview mirror. “You work well together.”

 

“Thanks, Sid.”

 

Sidney returned them to Eugene’s house and Eugene half carried-half dragged Snafu into the house and up the stairs. He paused for a moment outside the guest room door before he continued on towards his own room and guided Snafu on to his bed.

 

“Your mom’s gonna kill me if she catches me in here,” Snafu murmured sleepily as he stripped himself of his slightly damp clothes.

 

“I’ll take care of it,” Eugene informed him before he tossed him a spare t-shirt. “Just go to sleep. I’ll be back soon.” Eugene kissed him on his temple before grabbing his cellphone off of the pile of his clothes and setting it in Snafu’s lap. “Tell your mother you’re too tired to drive all the way back and you’re staying here for the night.”

 

“She’s gonna yell at me,” Snafu whined tiredly.

 

“If she yells at you, let me talk to her. It’s dangerous for you to be driving in this sort of condition,” Eugene said gently while he watched Snafu change into his shirt. “I’m gonna go tell my parents you’re staying for the night.”

 

“Don’t tell them I’m staying in here though,” Snafu mumbled as he tapped away at his cell phone screen. “This was not my idea.”

 

Smiling and shaking his head, Eugene walked out of his bedroom and walked down the stairs in search of his parents while wishing everyday could be spent like today.


	22. First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s okay,” Eugene whispered.
> 
>    
> “…you sure?” Snafu asked hesitantly.

* * *

It was about an hour later when Eugene finally slipped back into his bedroom. After he had informed his parents that Snafu would be staying for the night he had joined his parents for a very late dinner and talked about what the three of them had gotten up to earlier. His parents had gone to be ten minutes ago and Eugene had just spent the last few minutes positioning the pillows under the covers on the guest room bed to make it appear, at least with the lights off, that there was a body in the bed. A weak cover, he knew, but in case his mother decided to check on them in the middle of the night it would be better than nothing.

 

His bedroom was dark but he could just barely make out Snafu lying on his bed, curled up on one side of the bed; Eugene smiled at the fact that Snafu had attempted to save space for him. Eugene stripped off his jeans and socks before he lifted up the covers on the unoccupied side and crawled under the blankets. Eugene curled up next to Snafu and when he wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s waist, he felt the previously asleep man begin to stir.

 

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Eugene whispered against the back of Snafu’s neck.

 

Snafu mumbled something in his sleep before he rolled over onto his other side to face Eugene, smiling sleepily at him. Snafu reached out and wrapped his arms around Eugene before he pulled him in for a kiss. It was slow and unhurried but there was a passion behind it that Eugene hadn’t felt before. He felt wonderful, peaceful, and warm.

 

Snafu pushed at the hem of Eugene’s t-shirt and he broke away from the kiss for only a moment to take off his shirt; Snafu copied Eugene’s movements and tossed the borrowed shirt somewhere before he brought his lips back to Eugene.

 

They kissed and bit and sighed while they slowly ran their hands up and down each other’s bodies. Snafu paused in his movements and let his hand rest of Eugene’s hip for a moment, fingers brushing against the elastic of his underwear.

 

“It’s okay,” Eugene whispered.

 

“…you sure?” Snafu asked hesitantly.

 

Eugene nodded before he placed his hand on top of Snafu’s and guided him through the movement. He kicked his underwear away and grinned at Snafu who smiled back before he copied Eugene’s movements. Snafu lied down on his back and pulled Eugene on top of him, groaning when their naked bodies pressed together.

 

“ _Shhh_ ,” Eugene chastised him. “You want my mom to hear?”

 

“Way to kill the mood,” Snafu teased.

 

Eugene swatted playfully at him and Snafu laughed quietly before he kissed him.

 

* * *

 

“Mmm, where are you going?” Eugene mumbled as he squinted against the grey light that now filled his room during the early morning.

 

“I’m not waiting here for you mom to walk in on us butt naked,” Snafu declared as he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his underwear. “Anyways, I gotta get out of here before my mama comes after me herself.”

 

“I guess that’s a good idea,” Eugene sighed as he curled onto his side and watched Snafu sort through the clothes that littered the floor for the ones he had been wearing. “Wish you could stay.”

 

“Another time,” Snafu said before he leaned over to kiss Eugene. “We’ll have plenty of more chances.”

 

“Oh we will, will we?” Eugene asked with a raised eyebrow and a sleepy smirk.

 

“Well I was _hoping.”_

 

“Hmm, maybe,” Eugene muttered, letting out a sigh as Snafu began to run his fingers through his hair. “Be careful on your way back.”

 

“I will.”

 

“Call me when you get back home.”

 

“If my mom doesn’t take my cell phone I will,” Snafu said seriously.

 

Eugene looked up at Snafu and just stared at him for a long moment, feeling warm and content while Snafu stared back at him.

 

“I doubt I’ll get to see you again this summer,” Eugene said quietly. “What with you being grounded for, what was it, two years?”

 

“Maybe not too years but, yeah, it’s gonna be awhile,” Snafu sighed as he paused in the middle of stroking Eugene’s hair. “See you in August?”

 

Eugene propped himself up and kissed Snafu deeply, running his fingers slowly through his curly hair, before he pulled away and rested his forehead against Snafu’s.

 

“In August.”


	23. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It didn’t just feel like he was returning to a school, but when he thought of his friends and Snafu and all the times he had had here, both good and bad, well, it felt like he was coming home.

* * *

Eugene realized that it was different being back at school for his second year; probably because he wasn’t technically at school.

 

“What the hell is in this box, Eugene?” Sidney’s voice traveled from another room into Eugene’s bedroom where he was busy sorting through his personal belongings. “Why do we have so much shit? Do we even need half of this?”

 

“Probably not,” Eugene mused quietly as he began putting his books onto the less than trustworthy Ikea shelf he had spent better part of the last two hours trying to put together.

 

“Why do we have all these pots and pans?!” Sidney yelled in frustration. “And dishes?! First off, do either one of us actually cook? And secondly, what kind of self-respecting college kid actually uses a _dish_?”

 

“They’re just for show, Sid, calm down,” Eugene called over his shoulder. “In case one of our moms decides to visit.”

 

Eugene let out a long yawn and rubbed at his tired eyes; it had been a very long day. He and Sid had woken up very early in the morning, left their homes in Mobile, and headed back to school; Sidney driving his packed car while Eugene drove his father’s old pickup truck with a U-Haul trailer trailing behind him. He and Sidney had found an apartment near the campus to live in for their sophomore year of college instead of overpaying to live in the cramped dorms on campus. It was different from anywhere he had ever lived before but he was excited for this new part of his life.

 

“Hey, Eugene, I need a break! I’m gonna go run out and get something to eat!” Sidney called from the kitchen. “You wanna come with?”

 

“No, I think I’m just gonna take a break here,” Eugene responded as he leaned against his bed frame and rubbed at his eyes.

 

“Alright. Maybe if I’m feeling generous I’ll pick you up a sandwich or something!”

 

Eugene and Sid weren’t the only ones who had traded the cramped college dorms for off-campus living. Snafu was moving into an apartment a couple of streets away with his roommate from last year Burgin and their friends Bill and Jay decided to live on campus for their second year. Bill and Jay wouldn’t be back at the school for two more weeks and Snafu and Burgie were supposed to move in next week. He was excited to see all of his friends again after the summer and the six boys were already making plans for some sort of party once everyone was back and Eugene was already anticipating the hangover that was sure to come after it.

 

He didn’t really realize it until he was driving back to college earlier today but it didn’t just feel like he was returning to a school, but when he thought of his friends and Snafu and all the times he had had here, both good and bad, well, it felt like he was coming home.

 

“Sidney?” Eugene called out when he heard the front door open again. “You forget your car keys?”

 

When he didn’t receive an answer but heard the door shut again Eugene shrugged and turned toward one of the many boxes that littered the floor of his new bedroom; Sidney was right, did he even need all this shit? Eugene opened a box, grabbed the contents and went to place them somewhere else, but he was shocked into dropping them onto the floor when he saw someone standing laxly in his doorway.

 

 _“Jesus, Snaf!”_ Eugene exclaimed while he clutched at his chest while he boyfriend snickered from his doorway. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

 

“Gotta remember that’s an actual concern when it comes to you,” Snafu said with a shit eating grin on his face.

 

“Asshole,” Eugene said with little malice in his voice. Once the overall shock wore off he was able to assess the situation more clearly. “Wait. How the hell did you get in here? And aren’t you not moving in until next weekend?”

 

“Don’t worry I didn’t break in here. I caught Sidney on his way out the door and he let me it. And I have been a bit vague about that about my specific move in date,” Snafu shrugged, still grinning. “Burgie’s moving in next weekend but I moved in yesterday.”

 

“Yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“Because me and Sid thought it’d be entertaining to surprise you,” Snafu answered.

 

“You and Sid…?” Eugene asked with wide eyes. “So both of you planned this? Sid left because he knew you were coming?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Damn it, I don’t know why I ever thought it’d be a good idea for you two to be friends,” Eugene sighed while he made a mental note to get both Sid and Snafu back later.

 

“Aww, come on, I thought you said you liked surprises,” Snafu teased.

 

“I don’t know if I ever actually did or not but if I did I retract that statement for the rest of my life,” Eugene stated deadpan.

 

“You love it.”

 

“No actually I’m sure it’s going to give me heart failure one day.”

 

Snafu didn’t say anything but his smile slipped a little bit; Eugene had to figure he was thinking about the last time they had seen each other and why Snafu had driven through the night to see him.

 

Feeling over the shock and surprise of seeing Snafu materialize in his apartment a week before he said he’d be here, Eugene got up from his seat on the floor and began maneuvering around all the clutter on his floor. A smile grew on his face while he thought about how it had been over a month since he had seen Snafu in person, had touched his skin, had kissed him, and the couple of feet between them suddenly felt much too large. When he reached Snafu, Eugene cupped Snafu’s face and kissed him. When Snafu wrapped his arms around him and kissed him back, Eugene knew for sure that he was home.

 

“So you wanna break in your new bed or what?” Snafu smirked.

 

“In your dreams, Mer,” Eugene said as he shoved Snafu away playfully. “You’re still in trouble for lying to me and scaring me like that. You’re helping me unpack.”


	24. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hadn’t seen Jay or Bill or Burgie since school let out months ago and it was a wonderful feeling to be reunited with his best friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a piece of shit when it comes to updating anything right now

* * *

“This is a pretty decent place you’ve got here, Eugene.”

 

“Thanks, Bill,” Eugene said as he sat down on one of the couches in the living room.

 

“Better than the piece of shit Snafu and Burgin are renting out at least,” Bill commented as he sprawled onto the other couch.

 

“Like you have fucking room to talk, Leyden,” Snafu commented. “Still livin’ in a shitty dorm. Dealing with communal livin’ and R.A.’s babysitting you all damn day.”

 

“Me and Jay aren’t living in those boxes we lived in last year,” Bill informed Snafu. “We got a nice set up in those newer dorms on the other side of campus. Got our own bathrooms, room for a couch.”

 

“ _Wow_ ,” Snafu replied, voice dripping with sarcasm as he collapsed onto the space next to Eugene, shoulders and hips brushing.

 

“Is their place actually a piece of shit?” Jay asked as he perched himself on the arm of one of the couches.

 

“No,” Burgie informed Jay with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Yeah well you can’t deny it’s not as nice as this place,” Bill said as he gestured around to the clean area with new furniture, the quiet hum of the air conditioning filled the background.

 

“Yeah well unlike these rich southern belles me and Burgie are paying for our place out of our own pocket,” Snafu retorted. “So sorry if it ain’t the same lap of luxury, _Ballpeen_.”

 

“Oh fuck off, Snafu,” Bill snapped.

 

“Hey, hey, let’s not fight,” Sidney said as he walked out from the kitchen with an arm full of beers. “We’re here to have fun, not jump at each other’s throats.”

 

“But that’s how Mer and Bill have fun, Sid,” Eugene reminded him as he accepted a beer from his best friend.

 

“Yeah well at this rate they’re gonna spill blood and I’d really rather we at least give it a month or two before that happens,” Sidney said as he tossed a beer to Bill, who immediately cracked it open and was then covered in a foamy spray of beer.

 

“ _FUCK!”_ Bill growled as he held the spewing can at arm’s length.

 

“Bill!” Eugene shouted in surprised, a grin leaping to his face while Snafu howled next to him.

 

“Ha! Ya see, that’s what you get for talking shit!” Snafu cried gleefully while he watched Bill sip at the foam that was spewing out of the cracked beer.

 

“One night in and the couch already smells like beer,” Eugene sighed while Sidney got up to grab some paper towels to clean up the mess.

 

“Ugh, it’s all over my hands,” Jay whined while he wiped his hands onto the knees of his jeans.

 

“Well if there’s anything to learn from tonight it’s not to invite all of you over to me and Snaf’s apartment until you’ve learned to behave yourselves,” Burgin said with a smile while Sidney cleaned the floor by moving a rag underneath his foot while Bill wiped at his face with his shirt.

 

Eugene laughed quietly while he sipped his non-exploding beer, leaning against Snafu’s side, and feeling happier than he had in a while. He hadn’t seen Jay or Bill or Burgie since school let out months ago and it was a wonderful feeling to be reunited with his best friends again, even if it meant that it now reeked of beer in their apartment. For hours they sat there, shooting the shit and drinking while the television droned quietly in the background.

 

“So Snaf got to meet the Sledge family I hear,” Burgin said. “How did that go?”

 

“Well Snaf’s still here so I guess it didn’t go that badly,” Jay teased.

 

“Unless Gene’s parents totally hated you and told you stay away from their kid and now you can only hang out at school and keep this thing you got in secret,” Bill said.

 

“Shut the fuck up, Leyden, it went just fine,” Snafu snapped.

 

“Really cus if you ask me things were looking a little tense around the dinner table when I came to rescue you two,” Sidney teased.

 

“Okay well how about you go meet Gwen’s parents and then we’ll all come in half way through and see how you’re doing.”

 

Sidney pulled a slightly strained expression and Eugene smiled at him knowingly. Everyone else look on in mild confusion for a moment before Sidney elaborated.

 

“Uh, me and Gwen broke up,” Sidney informed them.

 

“Really?”

 

“How bad did you mess up?”

 

“Guess the girl had to wise up at some point.”

 

“Oh fuck off,” Sidney grinned. “No, it, it was mutual.”

 

“Mutual from a guy means she dumped your ass,” Burgin said.

 

“Eugene, was it really mutual or did she dump him?” Jay asked. “You gotta know.”

 

“I’m not saying anything,” Eugene said as he raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

 

“ _Thank you_ , Eugene,” Sidney said gratefully.

 

“Yeah well I’ll say something,” Snafu said with a grin. “Eugene told me that Gwen ran off with some guy who’s on the school football team.”

 

“What?”

 

“Damn it, Eugene, I told you that in confidence!” Sidney exclaimed while the other howled with laughter.

 

“Sorry, Sid,” Eugene apologized meekly.

 

“Don’t worry, Phillips, he also didn’t tell me that Gwen told you that she had to break up with you because her grandfather thought you were a hoodlum,” Snafu continued with a toothy grin.

 

“Shelton, you’re an asshole,” Sidney grumbled. “And Eugene I’m not telling you shit while you’ve got that _parasite_ attached to your fucking hip.”

 

“Don’t pout, Phillips,” Snafu teased as he reached around Eugene to give Sidney a good natured shove. “The ladies don’t like a pouting man.”

 

“Yeah well, what the fuck would you know about what ladies like,” Sidney responded.

 

“Oooh, Sidney’s been taking lessons from Leyden I see,” Snafu said.

 

“You know, a couple times over summer I thought I might have missed you guys but after tonight I’m sure I could go another month or two without seeing or talking to you guys again,” Burgin sighed.

 

“Oh go ahead and run to your wife, Burgie,” Snafu said. “But when ol’ Flo decides to upgrade and ditch your ass we’ll be right here waiting for you with open arms.”

 

“I’ll have you know me and Florence are completely happy with each other.”

 

“Sure, sure, but last that was the last thing I heard about Sid and Gwen,” Jay commented. “And look how that ended.”

 

“You guys are all assholes.”

 

“Yeah but we all love each other, don’t we.”


	25. Busy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eugene assumed that his second year of college would be more difficult than his first year but what he hadn’t anticipated was how busy he would be.

* * *

Eugene assumed that his second year of college would be more difficult than his first year but what he hadn’t anticipated was how busy he would be. A month into school and he was desperate for a break, preferably one with Snafu and their friends; he wasn’t the only one who was busy lately.

 

Eugene was rushing to one of his lectures when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket, alerting him of a new text message. It was from Snafu.

 

**Mer: Dinner tonight?**

 

Eugene sighed before he shoved the phone back into his pocket and continued to rush to class. Once he slid into his usual seat a minute before his professor started to talk he pulled his phone back out to respond.

 

**What time?**

**Mer: idk 6?**

 

Eugene ignored the girl sitting next to him who was clearly glaring at him for texting in class and responded with a frown on his face.

 

**Can’t. I have to meet with a study group at 6. We have an exam next week and no one knows what’s going on in class.**

 

**Could we do a late dinner?**

 

Snafu responded but Eugene ignored it for a moment, long enough for him to scribble down a couple notes from whatever his professor was talking about.

 

**Mer: How late are we talking here?**

 

Eugene ignored the huff of the girl next to him and responded; half of the class was texting or using their laptops to go onto YouTube, she needed to relax.

 

**Like 9?**

 

**Mer: fuck. I gotta work at 8 until 2.**

**Mer: you busy tomorrow?**

Eugene thought of his schedule for tomorrow and grimaced. He had an eight o’clock class and then three lectures in a row before an hour break for lunch. Then he had to meet with another study group before a three hour bio lab.

 

**Yes. Very busy. Won’t be free until 6.**

**Mer: I’m in class until 8 and then I gotta help Burgie out with something**

**Mer: this is bullshit**

**We’ll figure something out.**

**I gotta go before this girl next to me snaps my phone in half for texting in class**

 

Eugene glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye to make sure that she wasn’t reading his texts over his shoulder; she wasn’t. She appeared to be focused on whatever their professor was talking animatedly about.

 

**Mer: texting in class? aren’t you bad. I’m gonna have to tell mama sledge about this**

 

**Like you’d have the balls to talk to her.**

**Mer: Fuck you, Eugene**

 

Smiling, Eugene pocketed his phone and attempted to focus on his lecture, even though he knew it was a lost cause. He hadn’t seen Snafu in a week and now he was all he could think about. Sure, they had gone two months without seeing each other but that’s when there was the state of Mississippi in-between them. Now they were a ten minute walk from each other and all they could manage was a quick phone call here and some texting there.

 

It was different. Not what he had expected. Last year even during the height of final season they had seen each other plenty. Living down the hallway from each other had made everything much easier. Last year Eugene could go get breakfast with Snafu, walk to class with Bill, talk to Jay for five minutes in the dorm hallway before he had to run to class, grab a late night snack with Burgie, and see Sid way more than he needed to when they were confined to that box together. Now, now he barely even saw Sidney that often and they were living in the same damn apartment.

 

It was a little depressing.

 

The next couple of days were the same. Eugene rushed from class to class, study group to study group, while he texted his friends and they texted him, everyone trying to find a free minute to grab something to eat together. He received a pleasant surprise one day while he was studying late in the library and Bill dropped down in the seat next to him. They hadn’t been able to talk or they would have been attacked by a handful of stressed college kids but it was nice to have his friend next to him.

 

Eugene felt as if he were at his wits end by the end of the week. His brain was fried from an exam he had earlier that day and he could feel stress bubbling up instead of him whenever he thought about a project he had to finish that weekend and he hadn’t seen Snafu in almost two weeks now. Eugene had talked to him for over an hour the night before but it just wasn’t enough.

 

It was late Friday night, Saturday morning if he was being technical, and he knew he should be asleep. He was exhausted, running on several cups of coffee and probably not enough food, but he told himself that he couldn’t sleep until he finished this last round of questions for one of his classes. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after two in the morning now. Eugene turned back to his computer screen and saw to his dismay that he had three more questions left.

 

“Screw it,” Eugene muttered as he closed his laptop and stood up from his desk chair.

 

He knew that there was no point in staying up to do work he’d just have to redo in the morning. Eugene was just finishing brushing his teeth when he heard a peculiar noise. He guessed it wasn’t that odd of a noise, just odd because of the time of day because who the hell could be knocking on their door at two-thirty in the morning. He ignored it, figuring it must have been for one of their neighbors. Eugene was about to walk into his bedroom when the knocking turned to banging.

 

Frowning slightly, Eugene walked toward the front door and glanced though the peep hole. When he saw just who was waking up his entire floor on a Saturday morning, Eugene all but ripped the door open and almost knocked the person to the ground when he wrapped his arms around them.

 

“Damn, you’re like a giant puppy or something,” Snafu said as he wrapped his around Eugene’s waist. “Knocking me over before I even get a word in.”

 

“What are you doing here?” Eugene asked before he loosened his tight grip on Snafu so that he could kiss him.

 

“Oh, you know, I’m here to see Phillips,” Snafu teased. “Could you let go of me so I can go snuggle up in bed with him?”

 

“Fuck you,” Eugene grinned as he looped his arms loosely around his neck and rested his forehead against Snafu’s. “You smell like french-fries and burgers.”

 

“I just got off of work,” Snafu reminded him. “Sorry if I didn’t shower before I dragged my ass over here, princess. Do you want me to leave and shower and then come back?”

 

“No,” Eugene said with a shake of his head. “I want to you come inside and not leave until we have class on Monday.”

 

“I dunno. I think I might get sick of you,” Snafu teased, earning a harmless flick to his ear. “But I guess maybe it can be arranged.”

 

“Good. Now get in here before one of my neighbors come out and see us.”

 

Eugene grabbed Snafu’s hand and tugged him into his apartment before he shut and locked the front door behind them. They were about to walk into Eugene’s bedroom when a voice stopped them in their tracks.

 

“All I ask of you two is that you’re quiet,” Sidney’s tired voice called out. “I have to meet with my project group in seven hour and it’d be nice if I got some sleep without nightmares because of you two assholes.”

 

“No promises, Phillips,” Snafu drawled before he tugged a smiling Eugene into his bedroom.


	26. Cuddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well what about right now? What would you call this?” Snafu asked as he ran his fingers through Eugene’s hair.
> 
> “I’d call this cuddling,” Eugene said, chuckling.

 

* * *

“A date?”

 

“Yeah,” Eugene said as he looked up at Snafu, chin resting on top of Snafu’s chest. “We’ve never gone on a date.”

 

“What? Course we have,” Snafu exclaimed in disbelief.

 

“Mer, eating together in the dining hall doesn’t count,” Eugene sighed.

 

“Well what about right now? What would you call this?” Snafu asked as he ran his fingers through Eugene’s hair.

 

“I’d call this cuddling,” Eugene said, chuckling when he saw the face Snafu made at the word ‘cuddling’.  “What? Don’t like the word ‘cuddling’? Not manly enough for you?”

 

“No. It just sounds…weird,” Snafu mumbled.

 

“So not manly enough.”

 

“No,” Snafu pouted.

 

“Because I heard from Flo that Burgie loves to cuddle and he’s got more chest hair that you have on your head,” Eugene teased. “So manly men are allowed to cuddle.”

 

“Ugh, shut up,” Snafu whined. “I don’t wanna hear about Burgie’s chest hair.”

 

To placate him, Eugene kissed him on his chest and his neck for a moment before he continued with his initial request.

 

“Seriously Mer, cuddling is not a date. While this is nice and all it’s the kind of thing you might do _after_ a date.”

 

“Since when have you been the authority on dates,” Snafu asked. “You ain’t even ever been on a date.”

 

“Yeah and whose fault is that?” Eugene teased causing Snafu to frown. Sighing, Eugene lifted himself up onto his elbows and continued in a gentler tone of voice. “I’m just saying, don’t you think it’d be nice? We could go somewhere nice to eat, maybe see a movie, come back here and relax. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

 

“Sounds like a lot of work to me,” Snafu said causing Eugene to frown.

 

“Seriously, Shelton?” Eugene asked, feeling irritated.

 

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it, I just said it sounded like a lot of work,” Snafu said quickly, realizing he was in trouble when Eugene used his last name.

 

“Yeah but it’ll be fun,” Eugene insisted while Snafu rubbed soothing circles into his back. “And don’t you think we should go on a date? We’ve been together, what, six months and we haven’t been on a single date?”

 

 _“Six_ months?”

 

“Yep,” Eugene smiled.

 

“Feels more like five years with the way time’s dragging by,” Snafu kidded while Eugene rolled his eyes. “But I guess if we’ve been together that long maybe we could go out on a date.”

 

“Oh wow, one date every six months, aren’t I a lucky guy.”

 

“You sure hit the jackpot with me,” Snafu said cockily.

 

There was a long, quiet pause where Eugene rested his head on top of Snafu’s shoulder and Snafu ran his fingers up and down Eugene’s spine. Finally after a couple of minutes Eugene spoke.

 

“So what do you say?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Will you go on a date with me?” Eugene asked, sounding almost shy about it.

 

“… do we get to cuddle afterwards?” Snafu asked, trying not to smile.

 

“It could be arranged. If you behave on the date.”

 

“Well then how could I say no?”


	27. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And where are you planning on taking me, looking so nice? Or is it a secret?”
> 
> “Best not ruin the surprise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i'm sorry. i did not mean to take this long to update. my bad. :/

* * *

“Well don’t you look nice.”

 

Eugene grinned as he watched his boyfriend squirm slightly before he stepped out of the way so that Snafu could come inside. He looked very much unlike the Snafu Eugene knew so well, dressed in a dark blue button-up and a nice pair of jeans completely void of any stains or tears; even his usually erratic curls looked as if he had attempted to flatten them down.

 

“I wasn’t aware you owned a dress shirt,” Eugene teased before he kissed Snafu hello.

 

“I don’t. Or, well, I didn’t until yesterday,” Snafu muttered as he fidgeted with the cuffs of the shirt. “I was just gonna borrow one of Burgie’s but then Flo came by and convinced me to invest in one of my own.”

 

“Well I should tell her thanks,” Eugene said. “And where are you planning on taking me, looking so nice? Or is it a secret?”

 

“Best not ruin the surprise,” he answered as he leaned against the sofa, now preoccupied with whether his shirt was tucked in or not.

 

“Alright, just let me grab my wallet and we can go.”

 

Eugene ran into his room, grabbed his wallet and keys from off of his desk, and paused in the bathroom to quickly check his appearance. He wore a white dress shirt with a navy sweater pulled over it and a pair of slacks. He initially thought of wearing a tie but had tossed the idea when Sidney asked him if he were overdressed. Smoothing down a few stray hairs, Eugene walked back into the living room to find Snafu tugging at the cuffs at his shirt again.

 

“You ready to go?” Snafu asked as Eugene walked towards him.

 

“Almost. One more thing.”

 

Eugene reached out and gently pulled Snafu’s hands away from each other. Before Snafu could ask what he was doing, Eugene unbuttoned the cuff on one arm and rolled up the shirt to his elbow; Eugene repeated the action with the other arm and unbuttoned the top shirt button. When he was finished he smiled up at Snafu.

 

“There. Isn’t that better?”

 

“Figures. Can’t even look proper for a couple hours,” Snafu grumbled.

 

“You look fine,” Eugene reassured him. “Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything besides you fiddling with the cuffs all night. Now, where are we headed?”

 

They ended up at a restaurant on the other side of town. Eugene had never been there but he had heard good things about it from people around the campus. It was frequented less by college kids because of the distance but had the same feel as the popular restaurants that were down the street from campus. It was dim and a little loud but Eugene liked it. The hostess sat them down at a booth near the corner of the restaurant where it was a little quieter than up front near the bar.  

 

“So… is this place nice enough?” Snafu asked quietly as he flipped through the menu.

 

“It’s just fine, Mer, don’t worry, you did fine,” Eugene smiled at him from across the table. “I really appreciate it.”

 

Eugene watched as Snafu dipped behind his menu but managed to catch the red flush that crept into his cheeks before he disappeared from view. Feeling content and relaxed, Eugene leaned back against the booth and began to scan over the menu.

 

Dinner went well. Eugene’s pasta dish was delicious and the noise of ecstasy Snafu made when he bit into his hamburger made Eugene think his food was at least half-way decent. They caught each other up on their classes and obnoxious study groups and professors that couldn’t teach for shit and spent a great deal laughing about stupid things their friends had done recently. Eugene enjoyed his dessert while Snafu entertained him with a story about him and Jay as they walked back to Snafu’s apartment late last Saturday; it involved lots of alcohol, Snafu almost falling into a gutter, and Jay getting chatted up by what Snafu was pretty sure was a prostitute.

 

Eugene was content to sit at the booth for hours and just listen to Snafu talk but when their waitress came around to collect their dirty dishes, Snafu asked for the check. Before Eugene could even think about it, Snafu grabbed the check from the waitress, pulled out his wallet, and slipped a couple of bills into the black leather folder.

 

“Come on,” Snafu said as he got out of the booth.

 

“Where are we going?” Eugene asked. “Your place?”

 

“Nah, not yet,” he answered. “We got another stop before that.”

 

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

 

“Nope,” Snafu grinned as they walked out of the restaurant together.

 

“Are you gonna make me wear a blind fold?”

 

“Well I didn’t plan on getting that crazy tonight but if you’re up for that-”

 

“Just shut up, Mer, and drive.”

 

The drive to Snafu’s secret destination only took a couple minutes. At first Eugene had no clue where they were headed but soon enough it became apartment that they were headed to campus, which didn’t seem like a top date idea but Eugene didn’t say anything. Snafu pulled into a semi-full parking lot and held Eugene’s hand as he led them to their next destination. As they walked Eugene couldn’t help but notice that a handful of other students were headed in the same direction as them.

 

“What’s going on?” Eugene asked as they and the throng of students walked toward a brightly lit building.

 

“You’ll see in a second.”

 

Eugene had never been in the building before; all of his science classes were held on the other side of campus. When they entered the building Eugene saw bright, white walls and clean hardwood floors. Soft lighting hung from the ceiling and on the walls hung paintings and photo collages while sculptures sat in the corners or were surrounded by a red, velvet rope. The building was filled with people, mostly students it seemed, all in various states of dress; Eugene watched a clump of students pass, all wearing sweats and ratty t-shirts while a group in the corner wore cocktail attire.

 

“The Art department apparently holds a free art show every semester,” Snafu answered as he glanced around at the displays, paintings, the people, and anything that wasn’t Eugene. “I don’t know. We can leave if you don’t want to be here. Just thought I you might like-”

 

Snafu was cut off when Eugene leaned forward and kissed him. It was brief but when Eugene pulled away he kept close, bumping his forehead against Snafu’s. He reached out and gripped one of Snafu’s hands while he tried to think of the right words to say.

 

“This is amazing, Mer,” Eugene finally managed to say.

 

“Can’t take all the credit,” Snafu mumbled. “Flo mentioned the art show, think she was trying to get Burgie to take her, and I just stole her idea.”

 

“Well it’s still an amazing idea. Now come on. Let’s go look around.”

 

Fingers intertwined, Eugene led the way as they moved from room to room. Eugene enjoyed the paintings and the sculptures but he knew that this activity wasn’t exactly up his boyfriend’s alley which is why whenever he caught Snafu looking extremely bored Eugene smiled instead of getting annoyed; Snafu had really made an effort.

 

“Hey, why don’t we get out of here?” Eugene asked an hour later.

 

“You want to go already?” Snafu asked, looking slightly relieved.

 

“Yeah. I had a good time but you look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up,” Eugene teased. “Do you have any other plans or are we calling it a night?”

 

Snafu shrugged his shoulders before he said, “Let’s go back to my place.”

 

Together they left the art show and headed back to Snafu’s truck. Once at Snafu’s apartment complex, they headed up the stairwell but when Eugene went to exit onto the third floor where Snafu’s apartment was, Snafu stopped him.

 

“What?”

 

“Have you ever been up to the roof before?” Snafu asked him with a wide grin.

 

“Are we allowed on the roof?”

 

“No one’s stopped me yet.”

 

Eugene followed Snafu up the remaining three flights of stairs until they reached the door leading to the roof. Snafu held the door open for him let him out onto the roof before he propped the door open with a cinderblock. Eugene walked until he reached the edge of the roof and leaned against the waist high wall that ran around the perimeter. Eugene stared up at the dark night sky and took in the millions of twinkling, tiny lights; it was a clear night. Snafu leaned against the wall next to him and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one before passing it to Eugene who took a long pull before returning it to his boyfriend.

 

“You see that? That line of stars angling up,” Snafu said through a small cloud of smoke as he motioned to a couple of stars above them.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“That’s ‘Snafu’s Pecker’,” he said with a toothy grin.

 

“Yeah, you wish, Mer,” Eugene sighed as he snatched the cigarette away from him.

 

Eugene took another pull from the cigarette before he stubbed the bud out against the wall. He flicked it away before he turned to look at Snafu and found him staring intently at him.

 

“What?”

 

“Did you actually have a good time tonight or are you just humoring me?” Snafu asked quietly before he started to fumble with his pack of smokes in search of another hit of nicotine.

 

“I had a great time, Mer. I loved it.”

 

“Good. ‘m glad,” he mumbled around a new cigarette.

 

“Did you have a good time?” Eugene asked as he moved closer to him so that they were a solid line from shoulders to hips.

 

“Yeah,” Snafu said as he exhaled a puff of smoke. “Yeah, I’m really glad we did that.”

 

“Would you be up for it again sometime?” Eugene asked.

 

“Yeah. Didn’t I say I’d take you out on a date once every six months? So when it’s our one year I’ll take you on another one,” Snafu teased.

 

“Okay but that doesn’t mean I can’t take _you_ out more than once every six months,” Eugene reminded him. “So next time dinner’s on me.”

 

“Well if you’re paying we should go to that really nice restaurant downtown,” Snafu smirked. “Maybe rent a limo to get there.”

 

“You wish. But you did set the bar pretty high for tonight so I guess I should plan something nice.”

 

“Dinner and a free art show was setting the bar high?”

 

“Well things could have gone a lot worse.”

 

“Were you expecting this date to be horrible?”

 

“No,” Eugene said defensively. “I knew you would be able to manage a date. But accidents could have happened and made tonight go badly and I’m just saying that tonight was pretty damn good, Mer.”

 

“And now you’re hoping you don’t fuck up on accident when it’s your turn to wine and dine me,” Snafu grinned.

 

“Kinda,” Eugene admitted.

 

“Well if you happen to fuck up somehow I won’t hold it against you,” Snafu said as he bumped his hip against Eugene’s.

 

“Thanks, Mer,” he said as he plucked the now half-smoked cigarette from his fingers.

 

Eugene took a pull from the cigarette before he rested his head on Snafu’s shoulder and stared up at the night sky. Snafu wrapped an arm around Eugene and tugged him closer. Eugene had never been on a date but even if he had been on a million dates he was pretty sure tonight would still feel just as amazing.


	28. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> November arrived with a harsh and bitter gust of rain and several days of dreary, drizzling weather. Snafu, it seemed, had next to no capabilities when it came to dealing with cool weather.

* * *

November arrived with a harsh and bitter gust of rain and several days of dreary, drizzling weather. It was unusually chilly for the area and many people took notice. Eugene, who had been born and raised in Alabama, wasn’t exactly used to cooler weather but he had experienced plenty of bitter days back home that he was able to deal with the weather, which was still quite a bit above freezing. The weather left Sid in similar conditions as him and Burgin appeared to be faring rather well for someone from Texas. Jay, who was from Northern California, was more capable when it came to cold weather than them but Bill, who was from New York, spent a solid five minutes laughing after he had seen the three of them dressed in multiple layers while he still wore a t-shirt and jeans in the face of the forty-something degree weather. Snafu, however, was a whole other story.

 

Snafu, it seemed, had next to no capabilities when it came to dealing with cool weather. Eugene remembered the year before, how it had been unusually mild and even then Snafu pulled on a sweatshirt or two when the weather dropped near fifty degrees. Now, with the weather even lower than last year along with the bitter wind and the never-ending icy drizzle, Snafu was downright miserable.

 

“You would think the guy could handle a little cold,” Leyden commented one afternoon as he hung out in Sidney and Eugene’s apartment.

 

“Not everyone grew up with the mini ice ages that are the winters of New York, Bill,” Eugene defended. “Cut him a little slack.”

 

“I just mean all you guys are southern bumpkins-”

 

“ _Bumpkin_?” Sidney asked, looking personally offended.

 

“Whatever,” Bill waved it away, unconcerned. “You guys are all on the same playing field for cold weather adaption and he’s the only one who has a serious problem with a little chill. The dude is so fucking bundled up he looks fucking ridiculous.”

 

“Okay, Bill, but remember last year when you bitched every day for a month straight about the humidity?” Eugene countered with a smirk.

 

“What are you talking about, Eugene,” Sid asked. “Leyden hasn’t stopped bitching about the humidity since day one.”

 

“Oh fuck off, Phillips.”

 

Later that night, Eugene stopped by Snafu and Burgie’s apartment but when Snafu answered the door Eugene couldn’t help but chuckle at his boyfriend’s appearance.

 

“No, wait! Mer, I’m sorry!” Eugene exclaimed when Snafu began to close the door in his face. “I didn’t mean to laugh!”

 

Snafu reopened the door but didn’t look too pleased. His glare was lacking its usual menace when it was almost covered up by what appeared to be at least two long sleeve shirts, two sweat shirts, and ratty zip-up hoodie with the hood pulled up over Snafu’s curly hair. The more Eugene stared the more hilarious the image became and before he could help it he felt a smile returning to his face and Snafu’s glare became more pronounced.

 

“You’re an asshole just like Leyden,” Snafu growled before he took a step back and allowed Eugene to enter the apartment.

 

“I’m sorry,” Eugene apologized.

 

Once inside of the apartment Eugene attempted to lean in to kiss Snafu hello but was pushed away by the disgruntled young man.

 

“No. You can’t just get off the hook just like that,” Snafu pouted.

 

“I’m sorry, Mer, but you have to admit you look a little ridiculous,” Eugene said as gently as he could manage. “I mean, how old is that hoodie? Not to be mean here but you sort of look like a homeless person who raided a lost and found bin.”

 

“Wow you really tried to not sound mean there,” Snafu commented dryly before he pulled pack of cigarettes out of the hoodie pocket, tapped one out, and lit it. “And so what if I found this shit in a lost and found bin? I don’t have money to throw around on new clothes all the time.”

 

“Mer, let’s go back to my place,” Eugene said as he shook his head at Snafu’s antics.

 

“Why? So you can have a better audience to make fun of me? Sorry I’m not some freak of nature like Leyden who’s fucking half snowman.”

 

“No. My mom sent me a bunch of sweaters when the weather got shitty and I now own more sweaters than any person could possibly need,” Eugene informed him. “I’ll let you take as many as you want and they all look warmer than what you’ve got now.”

 

Snafu didn’t respond right away and instead chose to inspect a singe on the sleeve of his hoodie, which was almost definitely created by the man wearing it. When Snafu didn’t respond Eugene decided to sweeten the deal. Eugene reached out, wrapped his arms around Snafu’s waist, and tugged him closer to him.

 

“If you don’t like the sweater idea how about we just crawl into my bed and I’ll keep you warm?”

 

The pissy expression quickly evaporated off of Snafu’s face and was replaced by a toothy grin. Snafu took one last drag from the cigarette before he tossed it into a nearby ashtray, stuck his ice cold hands underneath Eugene’s clothing, and pressed them against his stomach.

 

“Aww, fuck you, Mer,” Eugene whined as he attempted to squirm away from Shelton’s cold hands.

 

“Is that a promise?” Snafu grinned before he pushed Eugene against the wall and leaned in until they were nose to nose.

 

“Damn it guys,” Burgie’s voice suddenly sounded from somewhere a couple feet away. “Can’t you guys at least make it to Snafu’s room before you start something? I’m ten feet away. I can hear everything.”

 

“Sorry, Burgie,” Eugene apologized while Snafu buried his face into the side of Eugene’s neck and began chuckling.

 

“Yeah we were just on our way out,” Snafu called out as he pulled his face away from Eugene’s warm skin.

 

“Come on,” Eugene said as he let go of Snafu’s waist and reached out to grip one of his hands instead. “Let’s go warm you up.”

 

“You guys are disgusting,” Burgin called out.

 

“Oh you think we’re bad?” Snafu asked as he turned towards where Burgie was sitting in the living room. “Well next time Flo is over I’ll make sure to take notes and we’ll see whose worse, how about it _Romus?_ ”

 

“Mer. Let’s get going,” Eugene sighed as he opened the front door with his other hand.

 

“If you wanna go there, I’ll go there, _Merriell!”_

 

“Burgin I thought you were supposed to be the mature one!” Eugene called out in exasperation.

 

“Sorry, Sledge. It’s your boyfriend’s fault.”

 

Snafu opened his mouth, ready to retaliate again, but before he could Eugene cut him off with a stern look.

 

“Mer, if you keep this up I’m going to leave you here and you’ll have to cuddle with Burgin.”

 

“Ehh, wouldn’t be the first time,” Snafu grinned.

 

“You got one hell of a cuddler there, Eugene!” Burgie called out. “Florence is getting jealous.”

 

“Oh my god, I’m fucking leaving,” Eugene exclaimed in exasperated before he walked out of the apartment.

 

“Eugene, wait up!” Snafu yelled as he grabbed his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and ran out the front door after Eugene. “I don’t wanna spoon with that hairy motherfucker!”


	29. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a scary feeling.
> 
> Love.

It was a scary feeling.

 

Love. 

 

It made a person do and say stupid things, things that no one in the right mind would do, like driving non-stop through the night at the first sign of trouble or admitting that they are afraid of something when they’d kept the fear secret for years. It was startling the amount of power love had over him.

 

And yes, by this point, Snafu had finally manned up and admitted that, yes, this was without a doubt love.

 

He loved Eugene.

 

It had only taken him over six month of dating and over a year of friendship to get that idea through his thick skull. Sure, in hindsight, he suspected it was love that propelled him through the night when Eugene called to let him know that he was in the hospital but he had ignored it then, blamed adrenalin, told himself he would do it for any one of his good friends, but deep down he knew none of those were the cause.  Snafu knew now that it was love that kept Snafu in Mobile once he was sure Eugene was okay and instead of running off he stayed and allowed himself to be interrogated by his parents; love made people go insane and no sane person would have willingly put themselves through the interrogation lead by a strict southern debutante. It took some time but eventually he put the puzzle pieces together.

 

He loved Eugene Sledge.

 

It was odd, realizing that sure, he loved people, he loved his mother and father and his siblings, loved his niece too, but that was a different kind of love. Unconditional love that a person expected when it came to those kinds of bonds; they were blood, they were family, of course Snafu was going to love them, even when they pissed him off and made him want to run away. With Eugene however, things were different. There wasn’t a guarantee that the feelings were mutual, no promise that if they were mutual they would last.

 

Love wasn’t scary. It was fucking terrifying.

 

It made his heart pound at the sight of Eugene and caused him to smile from a mundane text message. Worst of all, it made him want. Snafu usually enjoyed summers but this year had been horrible, being away from Eugene. They communicated every day but it wasn’t enough. When they finally reunited at the start of this semester Snafu thought his heart might explode from happiness.

 

It terrified Snafu which was why instead of sleeping soundly next to Eugene like he should be he was out on Eugene’s apartment’s balcony, freezing his ass off in the December chill, while he smoked through a pack of cigarettes and tried to straighten out his head.

 

He loved Eugene, that was obvious, but how and when was he going to let the guy know? That was a little more difficult.

 

If Snafu prided himself on anything it was his ability to say what was on his mind, what was on everyone else’s mind, even when no one wanted to hear it. Ever since Snafu was able to tell himself that this was love he had wanted to tell Eugene but every instant he had tried he had left feeling frazzled, shaky, and unsure. Eugene noticed something was the matter with him; on a couple occasions he had asked if he was alright and Snafu had just shrugged it off while blaming end of semester stress. It was only a matter of time before Eugene called him out on it and asked what the problem really was.

 

_Knowing you_ , Snafu thought as he lit another cigarette, _your big mouth would probably just start a fight._

 

Shivering, Snafu pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head before he wrapped his arms around himself. Wasn’t Florida supposed to be warm? This was ridiculous.

 

“What are you doing out here?” asked a sleepy voice from behind him, surprising him slightly.

 

Snafu turned around and found Eugene leaning against the sliding glass door that separated the balcony from the apartment. His eyes were thick with sleep and hair was a mess, stuck up on one side and was mashed flat on the other. He wore mismatched socks and the pair of pajama pants he had thrown on were on backwards. Snafu could help but smile at the image.

 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Snafu answered before he took another drag from his cigarette. “Go back to bed, Eugene, be back in in a bit.”

 

Instead of retreating back inside, Eugene stepped out onto the balcony and closed the glad door behind him. He shivered as his sock-clad feet met the cold concrete before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Snafu with his front pressed against Snafu’s back.

 

“You’d freeze out here without me,” Eugene mumbled as he rested his chin on top of Snafu’s shoulder.

 

“I was doing just fine out here without you,” Snafu grumbled.

 

“Bullshit. I saw you shivering. Now finish your smoke and come back inside before you get sick.”

 

“If either one of us is gonna get sick it’s gonna be you. You’re not even wearing shoes.”

 

“Well then if I get sick it’ll just be on your conscious,” Eugene yawned as he tightened his arms around Snafu.

 

Snafu would be lying if he said he wasn’t cold and Eugene’s body heat against his back only made him more desperate to get inside even though his head was still swimming. He made quick work of his cigarette before he smashed the bud into a nearby ashtray.

 

“Come on,” Snafu muttered as he pulled at one of Eugene’s arms. “I’m done.”

 

“Hmm?” Eugene mumbled into Snafu’s shoulder.

 

“Let’s get back inside before you fall asleep out here,” Snafu said as he grabbed on of Eugene’s hands and led his half-asleep boyfriend back inside the warmth of the apartment.

 

Together they tumbled back into Eugene’s bed and wrapped the still-warm blankets around each other. Eugene wrapped his arm around Snafu’s waist before he buried his face into the side of Snafu’s neck.

 

“You feel like a popsicle, Mer,” Eugene complained.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” he yawned. “I love you anyways.”

 

Snafu was sure his heart had stopped; his lungs too, he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He had to have misheard it, right? He wanted to ask Eugene to repeat what he had said but it felt like someone had cemented his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

 

_You’re pathetic_ , Snafu thought while his heart felt like it was stuttering in his chest. _He loves you. You heard it. Now just fucking say it back, idiot._

 

“Eugene,” Snafu started before he was cut off by one of Eugene’s quiet snores.

 

He tilted his head and found Eugene sound asleep. Snafu let out a sigh and frowned at the ceiling for a long moment, feeling momentarily defeated.

 

_Fuck it._

 

“I love you too, Eugene,” Snafu confessed to the ceiling while his heart pounded a mile a minute.

 

“I know, Mer,” Eugene mumbled into his neck. “Now go to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sporadic updates to be expected, kudos/comments are much appreciated


	30. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow they would all be leaving but tonight they would spend it together.

This time tomorrow they would all be back at their own respective homes. Eugene and Sidney were already packed and would be headed out first thing tomorrow morning. Snafu would be driving back to New Orleans whenever he managed to roll out of bed the next morning. The other three boys would be flying: Burgie to Texas, Jay to California, and Bill to New York. Tomorrow they would all be leaving but tonight they would spend it together. Finals were finished, grades were being calculated, winter break had begun, and there was nothing stopping these six young men from enjoying the night with each other and copious amounts of alcohol.

 

“Merry Christmas!” Bill yelled over the music into an hour into the night. “Everyone grab a shot!”

 

“Bill, slow down with the shots, would ya?” Jay asked weakly. “This is like the fifth shot in an hour.”

 

“It’s the holidays, De L’Eau,” Bill said as he handed his friend a shot. “Liven up a little. It’s time to let up on that post-finals stress.”

 

“If he pukes you’re cleaning it up,” Burgin said as he accepted his shot glass.

 

“I can’t wait until you get a place, Leyden,” Snafu said from where he sat on his couch next to Eugene with his arm around Eugene’s shoulders. “Then I can come over and fuck your shit up and leave.”

 

“Maybe I’ll just live in the dorms forever,” Bill said as he handed his friends their shots.

 

“Can’t live in those nice dorms for the rest of your life, Bill Leyden,” Snafu said before he tossed back his own shot. “One day you’re gonna have to leave ‘em behind. And when that day comes, I’m gonna be there. And I’m gonna fucking walk all over _your f_ urniture with some dirty-ass tennis shoes, throw up in _your_ kitchen, and then pass out in _your_ bathtub.”

 

“No, Mer, we don’t need a repeat of Halloween,” Eugene said with a shake of his head. “Once was bad enough.”

 

“You’re telling me,” Burgie huffed as he sat down on the opposite couch. “Good thing I know how to re-plaster a wall or else we would’ve lost our security deposit.”

 

“Shit happens, man,” Bill said with a roll of his eyes. “And I paid for the plaster and the paint to fix the hole.”

 

“Still, we should probably put a cap on Bill’s drinking for the night so we don’t get a repeat disaster,” Sidney said before he walked into the kitchen to grab another beer.

 

“You’re a smart man, Phillips,” Snafu said before he leaned forward, took the shot glass out of Bill’s hand, and drank it before anyone else could react.

 

“What the fuck, Snafu?” Bill exclaimed in annoyance.

 

“Gotta be quicker, boy,” Snafu grinned as he sat both empty shot glasses down on top of the table.

 

“Maybe I’m gonna have to keep an eye on you tonight,” Eugene said to Snafu while Bill bitched and the others teased him. “Make sure you’re not the one who ends up with their foot in the wall.”

 

“Well if it comes to it, at least it’s my place,” Snafu shrugged as he sipped his beer.

 

“I don’t think Burgie would be too happy about something like that happening again so I’ll try to stop you before you do.”

 

“Good to know,” Snafu said before he drank the last third of his beer. “Do you wanna be my partner for beer pong?”

 

“Maybe next round,” Eugene declined.

 

“Alright,” he shrugged before he addressed the rest of the room. “Who’s up to get their ass kicked by me in beer pong?”

 

After several hours of drinking and many rounds of beer pong, everyone was left in varying states of intoxication. Eugene and Jay were easily the most sober of the group. Around the third hour Jay had been close to throwing up and stopped for the night after that near-incident and Eugene was doing his best to take it easy throughout the night, but after several hours the drinking added up and he was nearing drunk now. Sidney was only a little worse off than him and Burgie still had some wits about him, even if he was currently lying under the coffee table, presumably texting Florence, who had left for break days ago.

 

Bill and Snafu were another case.

 

It seemed that both men were trying to outdrink the other but even several hours, they met each other shot for shot and drink for drink. After their many rounds of beer pong, the two were borderline belligerent and Eugene was patiently waiting for the inevitable moment when he would need to play referee between them before someone threw a punch; everyone in the apartment knew that when those two hot-headed young men drank too much, things could go from good to bad in a flash. When the clock hit two and it was clear that Bill wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, Snafu turned to another tactic: Pissing Bill off with PDA. No matter who did it, Burgie and Flo, him and Snafu, Bill got annoyed by any overly affectionate gesture.

 

“Mmmmm,” Snafu mumbled as he collapsed next to Eugene on the couch and wrapped his arms around him.

 

“Are you calling it a night, Snafu?” Bill called out from where he sat against the wall next to the couch.

 

“Mmmmnnoope,” Snafu grinned into the side of Eugene’s neck. “’m just sayin’ hi to my boo.”

 

“Jesus Christ,” Bill groaned.

 

“Mer, maybe you should call it a night,” Eugene said quietly as he looked down at Snafu’s red and grinning face. “You’re not gonna be able to drive home tomorrow; you’ll still be drunk.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Snafu insisted before he pulled the Santa hat Jay had thrown on Eugene’s head an hour or two ago and pulled it on; Eugene could help but laugh. It made Snafu pout. “What?”

 

“You look ridiculous, Mer.”

 

“You still love me though, right?” Snafu asked in a louder than necessary voice.

 

“Yes I still love you,” Eugene grinned; he knew what Snafu was up to and while he usually didn’t join in when Snafu tried to mess with Bill there was enough alcohol in his bloodstream to ignore it.

 

“Good,” Snafu said before he kissed Eugene; both of them smiled when they heard Bill growl and turn up the volume on the television.

 

“Do you love me too?” Eugene asked which earned a wide, toothy grin from his boyfriend.

 

“I definitely love you,” Snafu said with a nod of his head before he grabbed Eugene’s face and sloppily kissed his cheek. “’specially right now.”

 

“Okay if you fuckers are going to be like that, you’re gonna do another shot,” Bill exclaimed as he got up onto less than steady feet.

 

He stumbled his way over to the coffee table, which was covered in empty beer cans, bottles in different degrees of emptiness, and pizza crusts, grabbed the bottle with the most liquid in it, and messily poured three shots of mystery liquid; at least a shots worth of alcohol was poured onto the table during the attempt.

 

“Drink, assholes,” Bill said as he shoved two shots at them. “Burgie, you want in on this?”

 

“No thanks,” Burgin answered from underneath said coffee table. “I’m calling it a night. Somebody’s gonna be able to clear this up in the morning.”

 

“You ready to call it a night, Bill Leyden?” Snafu asked as he curled closer around Eugene.

 

“Not before you do,” Bill declared before he poured another shot and handed it to Snafu.

 

“Seriously, you guys should stop before someone gets sick,” Eugene sighed. “I do not want to clean up puke tonight.”

 

“Well I already called ‘not it’ on the cleanup duty,” Jay called out from where he sat in front of the television with the last of the pizza.

 

“Well I’m just saying right now, I’m not puking,” Bill declared before he took a drink from a beer.

 

“Really because you’re lookin’ a little grey, Leyden.”

 

“That’s just from watching you two,” Bill retorted.

 

“What’s the matter with us?” Snafu asked before he tilted Eugene’s head toward him and kissed him again.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna go piss and then we’re gonna finish this,” Bill grumbled before he stumbled off to the bathroom.

 

“Someone make sure to listen if he’s puking or not!” Snafu yelled as the door bathroom door slammed shut.  Snafu reached for his beer and took a sip before he mumbled, “That guy cheats.”

 

“Mer, I know you wanna beat Bill but maybe we should call it a night and go to bed,” Eugene suggested as he brushed a curly lock of hair away from his forehead. “It’s getting late and we all gotta hit the road tomorrow.”

 

“’know,” Snafu mumbled sleepily before he took another sip from his beer. “’ll stop soon. Promise.”

 

“You do?”

 

Snafu nodded his head before he sat up and threw a leg over Eugene’s waist so that he was straddling Eugene. Eugene smiled up at Snafu, feeling warm and content. He watched as Snafu leaned to the side and grabbed one of the plastic, stick on bows that sat next to them; earlier in the night someone had gotten into some left over gift wrapping supplies Burgie had left out and a minor fight had ensued, leaving bits of wrapping paper, tissue paper, and bows everywhere. Snafu picked up a large red bow and grinned at Eugene before he stuck it onto the side of his face.

 

“Mer,” Eugene whined as Snafu leaned forwards and collapsed against Eugene’s chest. “Why’d you do that?”

 

“’cus you’re my present,” Snafu slurred, his voice muffled by Eugene’s sweater.

 

“You know Bill’s not out here, Mer,” Eugene reminded him as Snafu closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Eugene.

 

“’m no tryna piss ‘im off,” Snafu yawned before he moved his face back into the crook of Eugene’s neck. “I just like you.”

 

“I like you too,” he smiled while he ran a hand up and down Snafu’s back.

 

The two of them stayed in the slightly awkward but warm position while Eugene watched the television over Snafu’s shoulder. He was content to stay there for a while but thought differently when he heard soft snores coming from Snafu.

 

“Mer, wake up,” he said as he gently shook him. “How about we go to bed now?”

 

“Can’ we sleep here?” Snafu asked groggily.

 

“Your bed is twenty feet away and it’s way more comfortable. Come on.”

 

“Mmmhhhhnnnggg,” Snafu groaned before he relented and crawled off of Eugene’s lap.

 

“Come on,” Eugene smiled as he stood up and took Snafu’s hand.

 

“Where’s Leyden?” Snafu yawned as he glanced around the living room.

 

“From the sounds of it, I think he fell asleep in the bathroom,” Sidney mumbled with his ear pressed against the door.

 

“Fucker always falls asleep in the bathtub,” Snafu grinned as Eugene led him to his bedroom.

 

“Goodnight, everybody!” Eugene called out with a wave over his shoulder before he closed Snafu’s bedroom door behind him.

 

Eugene helped Snafu out of his jeans and sweat shirt and did the same with himself before they crawled under the covers on Snafu’s bed. Eugene lied on his back while Snafu curled around his side, face pressed into his neck with the Santa hat still on.

 

“’Night, Eugene.”

 

“’Night, Mer.”

 

* * *

 

“Mer, are you gonna be okay?” Eugene asked the next morning.

 

His head was spinning a little and he felt a little sick but he figured once he had some water, coffee, and a little food he’d be fine. He managed to dress himself with minimal difficulty and he didn’t feel like he needed to vomit so he felt proud of himself. Snafu, however, was curled up in the fetal position underneath his blankets and didn’t look so good.

 

“I’m dying, Sledge,” he moaned.

 

“You’re not dying, you’re hung-over,” Eugene sighed.

 

“I’m dying.”

 

“I gotta get going but I got you a nice glass of water and some aspirin. I set them right next to your bed,” Eugene said as he placed a gentle hand onto of the blanketed lump that was his boyfriend; Snafu groaned again and Eugene took it as Snafu understood what he said. “I’m gonna call you when me and Sid hit our first pit stop, which should be in about two hours, okay?” He received another moan. “Try and get up then, okay?”

 

Eugene pulled back the blankets back enough to reveal Snafu’s curly head. Snafu whined and grumbled something but Eugene ignored it as he kissed him goodbye.

 

“I’ll see you next semester, Mer,” Eugene whispered so that he wouldn’t aggravate Snafu’s hangover even more. “Love you.”

 

“Love you too,” Snafu mumbled as he cracked and eye open to look at Eugene.

 

“Hope you have a good break and a good Christmas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sporadic updates to be expected, kudos/comments are much appreciated


	31. Keys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is it?”
> 
> “It’s a key to my place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, I'm really sorry for not updating for like, half a year; school was just ridiculously hectic this semester and i barely got a chance to write anything
> 
> i'll be updating more soon :)

* * *

Eugene was halfway through his organic chemistry lab when his cell phone buzzed with a new text message. At first he ignored it, he had a lab to complete and he needed to focus, even as his cell phone continued to vibrate with more and more text messages. Finally, his cell phone began to ring with a new call and Eugene realized whatever the problem was he needed to address it now. After he quickly silenced his obnoxious piece of technology, he checked who was so desperate to get in touch with him at ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning: it was Snafu. Eugene gave a quick excuse to his lab partners before he exited the room and stood in the hallway to read his boyfriend’s texts.

 

**Mer: are you or phillips home?**

**Mer: I left some school shit at your place**

**Mer: I have a presentation in an hour and I know I left my flash drive at your place**

**Mer: if I can’t get that flash drive before my 11 o’clock I’m gonna fail**

 

Eugene quickly dialed Snafu’s number.

 

 _“Finally, what took you so long?”_ Snafu greeted him.

 

“Sorry I’m in the middle of a lab,” Eugene answered.

 

 _“So I’m gonna assume you are not at your place then,”_ Snafu said, sounding irritated.

 

“No, sorry,” Eugene apologized. “Have you tried Sidney?”

_“I tried but he won’t answer_ ,” Snafu continued.

 

“I think he’s in his calc class right now; there’s never any reception in that building.”

 

 _“Fuck,”_ Snafu swore.

 

“I’m sorry, Mer,” Eugene apologized again, feeling helpless. “I’m gonna be in this lab for another two hours. What do you need this flash drive for?”

 

_“I got a presentation to do.”_

 

“Do you think your professor will understand and let you do it another day?”

 

_“Probably not; guys a huge dick.”_

 

“Well, maybe I can tell my professor I have an emergency and run home and let you in-”

 

 _“No, don’t do that, Eugene,”_ Snafu cut him off. _“Don’t skip out on class just because of me.”_

 

“How about you come by my class right now and I’ll give you my keys?” Eugene suggested. “I’m in Baker, room 220.”

 

“Alright, I’ll be there in five minutes.”

 

Eugene returned to his class and his lab partners and before he knew it Snafu’s face was peering into the class from the hallway. After a quick exchange of keys and a kiss, Snafu was running down the hallway and Eugene returned to his lab.

 

Snafu texted him later to inform him that he retrieved his flash drive from his place and that his presentation went fine, which allowed Eugene to relax for the rest of the day. Instances like today had been happening a lot to Snafu recently; he spent a lot of time at Eugene’s place so a lot of his belongings were scattered about his living room or Eugene’s bedroom. At least once a week Snafu had to run back to Eugene and Sid’s apartment to get something; most of time someone was home to let him in or whatever he needed could wait until someone was. Every now and again Eugene would run into a similar issue but it definitely had not reached the same level as Snafu.

 

“Shit,” Eugene sighed once he stood outside of his apartment door hours later with his hand reaching into an empty pocket; it was at that moment that he realized Snafu had never gotten a chance to return his keys to him.

 

He was locked out of his own apartment. Eugene knew that Sidney was out on some date and wouldn’t be back for at least another two hours. Snafu worked tonight and almost never had his phone on him while he worked so there was next to no chance of contacting him. With a heavy sigh, Eugene pulled out his phone and called the apartment supervisor so that they could unlock his door for him.

 

While Eugene sat on the floor in the hallway outside of his apartment, he couldn’t help but remember an instance where Snafu attempted to break into their apartment to retrieve something. It had ended with one of their neighbors calling the cops and Snafu almost getting his ass hauled off to jail. Fortunately Sidney had been on his way home when it happened and was able to explain the situation to the police before his boyfriend had been lead away in handcuffs.

 

Thankfully his apartment supervisor arrived after only a couple rounds of angry birds and he was let back into his apartment. Once inside, an idea struck Eugene. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Snafu.

 

**Are you free to catch breakfast at the diner tomorrow?**

 

The next morning Eugene woke up early, swiped Sidney’s keys off of the coffee table, and headed out. Snafu agreed to meet him at noon for brunch; it was only eleven but Eugene had some running around to do before he could meet up with Snafu.

 

“You’re late,” Snafu greeted Eugene as he slide into the seat across from him at their usual booth.

 

“By like, five minutes,” Eugene said with a roll of his eyes. “I had some running around to do and I needed to give Sid his keys back before I came here.”

 

“Speaking of keys, I have something for you,” Snafu said before he placed Eugene’s key ring on the table. “Sorry I couldn’t get them back to you earlier and you got locked out of your apartment but you saved my ass; I would have been fucked if I didn’t have my presentation yesterday.”

 

“Everything worked out in the end so it’s not a big deal,” Eugene shrugged. “Let’s just try and not have something like that happen again.”

 

“I need to pay better attention to where I’m leaving my shit,” Snafu grumbled into his cup of coffee.

 

“Or you could buy two of everything and keep one set at my place and one set at yours,” Eugene teased.

 

“Maybe if I was rich like you I could manage that,” Snafu responded while he gave Eugene’s leg a gentle kick underneath the table.

 

“Or there’s a third option,” Eugene said.

 

“Oh really? What’s behind door number three?”

 

Eugene reached into his pocket, pulled out a shiny metal key, and placed it on the table in front of Snafu.

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s a key to my place,” Eugene answered with a smile while he tried to quell the sudden increase in his heart rate. “For you. Now the next time you forget something important, because I know you and there will be a next time, you won’t have to call me or Sid or risk getting arrested for breaking and entering.”

 

“Excuse me but I would only have been charged for entering; I wasn’t gonna break anything,” Snafu retorted before he reached out and picked up the tiny, metal key off of the table and focused on it instead of Eugene. “Thanks for this.”

 

“To be honest I should have done this forever ago; would have put an end to a lot of issues we had recently.”

 

Snafu was quiet for a moment while he turned the key over and over with his fingers. Finally, after the waitress had taken their orders, Snafu leaned across the table and grinned at Eugene.

 

“Does Phillips know about this?”

 

“Not yet but I don’t see why he would have a problem with it.”

 

“Don’t tell him,” he said firmly. “Not yet.”

 

“Why?” Eugene asked slowly, feeling nervous.

 

“No reason.”

 

“Mer.”

 

“I’m just gonna scare him a little bit, nothing deadly, Eugene,” Snafu confessed. “Are you really gonna take away an opportunity to scare the shit out of your best friend in the whole world?”

 

“I am just going to pretend that I didn’t hear anything you just said,” Eugene said after a pause as he added cream and sugar to his coffee. “And when Sidney asks about the key I’m just gonna tell him that it slipped my mind.”

 

“This is why I love you.”


	32. Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, what’s for dinner?” Eugene asked.
> 
> Without preamble, Snafu walked over to the stove, lifted the lids off of the pots, and revealed their dinner to Eugene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in the middle of my geology lecture today instead of paying attetion. Hope you enjoy

* * *

“What the hell is that smell?” Burgie asked as he and Florence walked into his apartment were immediately assaulted with the smell of something burning.

 

“I think your place is burning down, Romus,” Florence said.

 

“God dammit,” Snafu cursed from the kitchen.

 

“Snaf are you trying to burn down the apartment?” Burgie called out before he headed over to the kitchen.

 

“I’m not trying to but that seems to be where things are headed,” Snafu growled from where he stood in front of the open, looking angry and defeated.

 

“Holy shit, are you trying to cook?” Burgie asked as he took in the messed up kitchen and his best friend as he stood in front of the smoking oven.

 

“I never thought I’d see the day,” Flo remarked as she stared at the scene in front of her.

 

“Yeah well you’re never gonna see it again,” Snafu snapped angrily before he picked up the smoking pan and began scrapping the burnt contents into the trashcan. “Fuck this.”

 

“Why were you even trying to cook in the first place?” Burgie asked.

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Snafu grumbled before he slammed the pan onto the stove top. “It’s stupid.”

 

“Merriell, you have never been able to lie to me, don’t start now,” Florence declared as she crossed her across over her chest. “There’s a reason behind this. Fess up.”

 

For a long moment Burgie was sure that Snafu wouldn’t talk. He expected his best friend to blow Florence off before he made some spectacularly pissy exit. Surprisingly that didn’t happen.

 

“I was trying to cook for Eugene,” Snafu admitted quietly with a flushed face while he chose to stare at the kitchen linoleum rather than their faces. “It’s our anniversary… instead of going out, I suggested staying in…”

 

“Merriell that is _so_ sweet,” Florence exclaimed with a wide smile and misty eyes.

 

“It’s not sweet, it’s fucking stupid,” Snafu bit back, his anger returning to him. “I’m an idiot. What the fuck was I thinking? Telling Eugene I could be capable enough to make anything edible? Should have just taken him out somewhere. It would be less effort with a much lower risk of getting food poisoning.”

 

“Now don’t talk like that, we can fix this,” Flo said kindly as she walked closer to Snafu.

 

“That can’t be fixed, Flo,” Snafu said as he gestured towards the garbage can. “That needs to go to a toxic waste dump.”

 

“When did you tell Eugene to come over?” Florence asked as she cut across Snafu.

 

“Around five-thirty,” Snafu answered; it was just after four o’clock now.

 

“That’s plenty of time to start something new.”

 

“I’m just gonna order something to-go from somewhere nice,” Snafu decided with a shake of his head.

 

“No, you won’t,” she persisted. “We’re gonna help you out and you’re gonna make something great for Eugene.”

 

“ _We?”_ Burgie pipped up.

 

“Yes, Romus, _we_ ,” she answered before she marched over to the cupboards and began taking inventory of the materials on hand. “Why should I have expected to find anything besides ramen noodles and cereal in here?” she muttered under her breath before she opened the fridge and began digging through it.

 

“There’s no stopping her once she sets her mind to something, is there?” Snafu asked Burgie as he leaned up against the wall next to him, keen to stay out of the way.

 

“It’s like trying to stop a hurricane,” Burgie declared with a loving look in his eyes as he watched his girlfriend tear their kitchen apart.

 

“Okay so, Romus, I’m going to need you to run to the store while me and Merriell clean this up,” Florence ordered as she turned around and stared at the two of them.

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“I’ll make you a list,” she said as she grabbed a stray piece of paper from out of the junk drawer and began scribbling away. “I just need you to hurry.”

 

“How did I get roped into helping you with your anniversary dinner?” Burgin grumbled before Florence pressed the paper into his hand and pecked him on the cheek.

 

“Because you are a wonderful friend,” Florence reminded him before she pulled a twenty out of her wallet and shoved him towards the door. “Try and be back here in twenty minutes okay? We’re under a time constraint!”

 

“Yes, dear,” he sighed as he grabbed his keys and his jacket and headed out the door.

 

“Well we can’t do much until he gets back here but we can at least get this place and you cleaned up,” Florence said as she looked around the disaster zone of a kitchen. “It shouldn’t take that long to make but I don’t like the idea of rushing to the last second, although it could be fun; it’s like we’re on one of those cooking shows.” Looking determined, Florence turned to face Snafu. “Now you, go take a shower and change into something decent without any holes. You have to look nice.”

 

“Are you gonna let me pick out my clothes or is there gonna be an outfit laid out on my bed when I get out of the shower?” Snafu snapped, feeling slightly annoyed at her pushiness.

 

“We’ll see how long it takes me to clean up the kitchen,” she answered as she began pushing him towards the bathroom.

 

“Can I even ask what the fuck your planning on having us make? What if it’s something Eugene doesn’t like?”

 

“Trust me, everyone likes this and it’s simple enough to make. Just go wash up.”

 

* * *

  

Florence and Burgie cleared out of the apartment only a few minutes before five-thirty just as the food was finishing cooking. Snafu was worried that without Florence at his side he would someone manage to destroy the ridiculously simple meal but by the time Eugene knocked on the door a few minutes after five-thirty the food still looked as good and as edible as it was ten minutes ago.

 

“Hey,” Eugene greeted him after Snafu opened the door. “You look nice.”

 

“Thanks,” Snafu responded before he leaned forwards and kissed Eugene; he personally didn’t think he looked particularly nice in the same blue button up he wore for their last date. “So do you.”

 

“Smells good in here,” Eugene commented as he walked into the apartment. “Even smells edible.”

 

“No promises,” Snafu sighed before he led them into the kitchen.

 

“I’ve never seen this place look so nice,” Eugene commented as he looked around the kitchen and took in the clean floors and the small table in the corner that was covered with a table cloth and matching dishes.

 

“Me neither,” Snafu muttered.

 

“So, what’s for dinner?” Eugene asked as he walked over to the stove and inspected the covered pots.

 

Without preamble, Snafu walked over to the stove, lifted the lids off of the pots, and revealed their dinner to Eugene.

 

“Spaghetti,” Snafu answered quietly, looking a little nervous. “I know it’s nothing fancy but the meatballs are made from scratch so-”

 

“It looks great,” Eugene exclaimed with a smile. “Did you do this all by yourself?”

 

“Flo stopped by and helped me a bit,” Snafu admitted. “I tried making something else but it didn’t really work out…”

 

“Well I’m starving and this looks delicious, Mer,” Eugene insisted before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Snafu’s. “Happy anniversary.”

 

“Happy anniversary, Eugene.”


	33. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Breakfast?”
> 
> “Well, I guess it’s brunch now that it’s the afternoon, but yeah. I made pancakes and eggs and sausages. Thought it’d be nice way to officially start summer break.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk i'm on a roll today

* * *

Snafu knew before he opened his eyes that it was already very late in the morning; between the bright sunlight that streamed into the room through Eugene’s curtains and his internal clock he knew it had to be at least noon. He knew he should get up but after the last few days and the fact that Eugene’s bed was so soft and warm Snafu didn’t know if he could bring himself to pry himself out of bed.

 

He had just finished his final exams, bringing his second year of college to a close, and after being up for nearly forty-eight hours studying, stressing, and testing, he felt he deserved to sleep in. Snafu had finished his last exam yesterday around four and had to immediately go and work an eight hour shift. Snafu managed to drag his way back to Eugene’s place around twelve-thirty; he barely remembered entering the apartment or collapsing on the bed next to Eugene. Snafu had a vague, half-asleep memory of Eugene waking up and leaving the bed what had to be a couple hours ago. Snafu knew that Eugene had also finished his exams yesterday and he could hear someone moving around the kitchen; he hoped it was Eugene and not Sidney. He and Sid usually got along well but lately Sidney had been so stressed out from exams he wasn’t exactly the friendliest guy around. Snafu knew Sid still had another exam today so he didn’t want to risk poking the bear when he was so close to snapping.

 

“Are you planning on getting up anytime today?”

 

Snafu opened his eyes and found Eugene standing in the doorway of his bedroom, dressed in sweatpants and one of Snafu’s old t-shirts, his hair still a mess from sleep.

 

“I wasn’t planning on it but I may be persuaded for the right price,” Snafu answered, his voice thick with sleep. Snafu lifted a heavy arm from underneath the blankets and motioned towards Eugene. “Get over here.”

 

Smiling, Eugene crossed the room and sat down on the edge of his bed. Snafu reached out, wrapped his arms around Eugene’s waist, and moved his head from the pillows to Eugene’s lap; he closed his eyes when Eugene started to run his fingers through his messy hair.

 

“What time is it?” Snafu mumbled while he tried not to fall asleep again.

 

“It’s a little after one,” Eugene answered. “I know you didn’t get home until almost one this morning but I think twelve hours is enough sleep for one day.”

 

“Yeah well I haven’t slept for about two days so I think it evens out,” he yawned before he nuzzled his face into Eugene’s stomach. “Let me sleep for another hour or three.”

 

“Maybe later,” Eugene laughed. “You need to eat something first. Come on, I made breakfast.”

 

“Breakfast?” Snafu asked as he cracked open an eye and looked up at Eugene.

 

“Well, I guess it’s brunch now that it’s the afternoon, but yeah. I made pancakes and eggs and sausages. Thought it’d be nice way to officially start summer break.”

 

“Can’t you bring the food in here?” Snafu asked. “I think breakfast in bed would be an even better way to start summer.”

 

“No way in hell, Mer, I know how messy you get when you eat. You are not bringing syrup anywhere near by bed.”

 

“You’re no fun,” Snafu whined.

 

“Come on, Mer,” Eugene sighed. “You can walk the twenty feet to the kitchen. After breakfast you can go back to sleep…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Or… we can continue celebrating summer with other activities, seeing as Sid’s not gonna be back until dinner time,” Eugene suggested casually.

 

After a brief pause Snafu perked up and sprang out of bed, making Eugene laugh.

 

“Yeah, I could get behind that plan, Eugene,” Snafu agreed quickly. “Let’s go eat that food before it gets cold.”

 

Eugene couldn’t help but laugh as Snafu grabbed his hand and impatiently dragged him towards the kitchen.


	34. Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone agreed that they needed to have a long day together as a group before everyone split up again for the summer; a trip to the beach was an obvious answer.

* * *

“I swear to Christ if any of you guys start playing fucking country music I’m gonna tuck and roll out of this car,” Bill declared as Eugene started up his truck.

 

“See ya later, Leyden,” Snafu smirked as he turned on the radio and immediately hit the button for the station he knew was preprogramed to Eugene’s favorite country station.

 

“Mer, behave,” Eugene said as he slapped Snafu’s hand away and changed the station to a generic rock station. “We’ve got an hour drive ahead of us and I’d really rather not listen to you two bitch for that hour.”

 

“I’m just teasing,” Snafu said with a wink before he kicked his feet up onto the dash board and leaned back in his seat. “I’m planning on sleeping until we get there. Leyden if you kick my seat I _will_ start singing Shania Twain.”

 

“I think the only thing worse than country music is Shelton trying to sing country music,” Bill grumbled as he sat back in his seat.

 

“You got a point, Bill,” Eugene replied.

 

“Hey,” Snafu exclaimed in offense as he opened his eyes and frowned at Eugene.

 

“I’m just teasing,” Eugene said as he pulled onto the highway.

 

A little over an hour later, Eugene was pulling into a sandy parking lot that sat a couple yards away from the sandy beach and the clear, blue ocean. A moment later, Burgie pulled his SUV into the parking spot next to him. The seven of them piled out of the two cars and together they unloaded coolers, chairs, and miscellaneous items from the trunks before they headed towards the beach.

 

“Who’s ready to get their ass kicked in a game of chicken?” Bill asked as they dropped their items on a cleared space on the beach.

 

“Hey, Eugene, you wanna be my partner?” Snafu asked. “You can help me smash Leyden’s face into the water.”

 

“Maybe in a couple minutes once we’ve set up,” Eugene said with a grin and a shake of his head.

 

“What the hell, Eugene, I thought it was bros before hos,” Bill exclaimed with a frown.

 

“Sorry, Bill,” Eugene apologized without sounding even the least bit sorry.

 

“Unbelievable,” Bill muttered.

 

It was summer, had been ever since the semester officially ended a couple of days ago. Bill and Jay, who still lived on campus and were going to continue living on campus again next year, had been kicked out of their dorms two days ago. Bill had been crashing with Eugene and Sidney while Jay was with Burgie and Snafu. The two of the would be flying back to their respective hometowns the day after tomorrow and everyone agreed that they needed to have a long day together as a group before everyone split up again for the summer; a trip to the beach was an obvious answer.

 

“Did you remember to put sunscreen on?” Snafu asked Eugene after they had unpacked and the others ran off towards the water.

 

“Yes, Mer, I put it on before we left,” Eugene answered tiredly; between Snafu and Sidney he had been badgered no less than six times already about his sunscreen usage.

 

“You’re gonna have to reapply in a couple hours, you know. I don’t want your ginger ass to get roasted to a crisp.”

 

“I’ve been this pale for two decades, Mer, I’d like to think I know how badly I react to sunlight by now.”

 

“Hey are you guys gonna sunbathe all day? Or are you gonna join us?” Sidney called out from where he stood in the water; Eugene turned around just in time to watch as his best friend go pulled under water by Bill.

 

“Come on,” Eugene said. “We should get out there before Bill breaks someone.”

 

Between the cool, refreshing water, the warm, bright sun, and being surrounded by his best friends in the world, Eugene didn’t think he ever wanted to leave the beach. There wasn’t a dull moment that day: Bill and Snafu busied themselves with constant chicken fights and competitions on who could swim farther, who could hold their breath longer, who could build a better sandcastle; Flo and Eugene kicked Burgie’s and Sidney’s ass at building sandcastles on the beach; Snafu and Jay buried Sidney underneath a thick layer of sand before they abandoned him and left him to be rescued by Eugene; Sidney retaliated, with the help of Eugene, by pantsing both Snafu and Jay.

 

It was a day filled with laughter and happiness. Once the sun began to set, the group retreated back to where they dumped their supplies and decided to set up a fire there. No one wanted this day to end anytime soon.

 


	35. Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The seven of them sat around a bright, flickering bonfire while they passed a quickly dwindling bag of marshmallows among them.

* * *

“Mer, why do you keep turning your marshmallows into torches?”

 

“Because I like them burnt.”

 

“That’s gross.”

 

“Yeah well in the time it takes you to perfectly roast your golden-brown marshmallow I’ve already cooked and eaten like five marshmallows.”

 

“You’re gonna have a stomachache if you keep that up.”

 

“I don’t give a fuck. Burgie, pass me another marshmallow.”

 

It was dark now and most of the beachgoers that had covered the beach during the day were now gone. The seven of them sat around a bright, flickering bonfire while they passed a quickly dwindling bag of marshmallows among them. Music played softly from the radio Jay had grabbed and brought along. The stars were bright as ever up in the dark night sky.

 

It was relaxing. Everyone was too tired out from swimming and playing in the sand to do much of anything besides sit and slowly eat their weight in marshmallows. Everyone talked about plans their about for upcoming summer.

 

“I’m gonna be working,” Jay spoke up without looking too excited about the prospect. “My dad will bitch if I lay around the house for more than a day and besides, I could use the cash.”

 

“I’m working too,” Florence said before she nudged her shoulder against Burgie’s. “Need to save up money if I’m gonna manage to see this one more than once this summer.”

 

“We’ll definitely be able to see each other for the next few weeks if nothing else,” Burgie reminded her; Burgie and Snafu were staying in the same apartment for the next school year and while they were going to return to their homes in Texas and Louisiana soon they both were going to enjoy living in their apartment for the first few weeks of summer. Florence was a Florida native and lived about an hour away from campus so they would be able to see each other relatively easily for the next few weeks

 

“How long are you staying, Burgie?” Snafu asked.

 

“Three weeks,” Burgie answered. “I promised my parents I’d be back for Memorial Day. What about you?”

 

“Haven’t really decided yet,” Snafu answered with a shrug before he turned to look at Eugene. “And when are you and Phillips’ clearing out?”

 

“We’ll be leaving Memorial weekend too,” Eugene answered. “We couldn’t stay another day if we tried.”

 

Sidney and Eugene were following the same route as Burgie and Snafu since their lease continued through the summer; both of them really wanted to stay in their apartment for the entire summer but neither of their mothers would accept that.

 

“We’ll probably be able to come back end of July or the beginning of August though,” Sidney spoke up. “We are paying for this place; we should be able to live here.”

 

“Gotta tell your mama’s to cut the damn cord eventually,” Snafu teased.

 

“Yeah, because I totally didn’t overhear your mama to get your butt home as soon as possible the other day,” Burgie reminded him, which earned a scowl from across the fire.

 

“Maybe we can meet up over the summer,” Eugene said quietly as he nudged Snafu’s shoulder with his own.

 

“Hopefully it won’t be at a hospital like last year,” Snafu reminded him softly.

 

“Sorry about that.”

 

“Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault,” Snafu insisted as he leaned against Eugene. “Maybe you can come by my place this time… my mom’s been asking about you. She keeps asking if I made you up.”

 

“I’d love to come visit,” Eugene said honestly with a smile. “Maybe I’ll just drive across Mississippi in the middle of the night and surprise them like you did to mine.”

 

“You were in the hospital-”

 

“I know, Mer,” Eugene cut him off before he grabbed one of Snafu’s hands and laced their fingers together. “I’m glad I got to see you last summer. I missed you… and I’m gonna miss you again when we got back again.”

 

“We’ll see each other,” Snafu said firmly. “If nothing else, I’ll probably be able to come back beginning of August too, then we can have that whole month together.”

 

“That’s what I like to hear,” Eugene smiled before he tilted his head and kissed Snafu.

 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Bill shouted from the other side of the fire; Snafu of course gave him a middle finger in response.

 

“What?” Snafu snapped after he broke away from Eugene but kept his head rested on Eugene’s shoulder.

 

“Burgie just thought of an awesome idea,” Bill explained. “Maybe if you weren’t busy making goo-goo eyes at each other you would’ve heard.”

 

“I can still hear even if I’m looking at something, Leyden,” Snafu reminded him. “I know it might be hard for you to do more than one thing at once but I’ve got it under control.”

 

“What’s your idea, Burgie?” Eugene asked loudly before anything could escalate between the two.

 

“Well I was thinking, my family has a cabin on a lake near where I live; maybe we could meet up there sometime over summer,” Burgie spoke up. “My parents would be cool with it I’m sure; they let me use the cabin for after-prom in high school.”

 

“Sounds awesome,” Eugene agreed.

 

“The lakes pretty clean, we could go swimming. We have a nice barbeque and a fire pit there too; we could grill, have another bonfire like this one.”

 

“Just as long as we remember to bring extra marshmallows,” Jay said as he motioned towards the depleted marshmallow bag. “Snafu’s gonna need to bring two or three just for himself at the rate he inhales them.”

 

“If you wanted more marshmallows you should have moved faster, Jay, not my fault.”

 

Eugene closed his eyes while he rested his head on top of Snafu’s and listened to his friends talk and laugh. He knew he’d have a few more weeks of Snafu and Burgie and Florence would be around but Jay and Bill would be gone soon; he might not see them again until school next semester. He hoped that they would all be able to meet up over the summer but knew things like that weren’t always possible when there was so much distance involved.

 

Eugene wished that they could just stay right here, laughing, relaxed, and together with nothing more than a bonfire separating them.


	36. Ice Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re a mess, Mer.”
> 
> “What are you talking about?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the lack of updates but I've been trying to really focus on my school work this semester so all my writing's been put on temp hiatus. but i was able to find a few minutes to write this quick little thing so i hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

“You’re a mess, Mer.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I’m talking about the half of an ice cream cone that’s melted all over your hands and face,” Eugene explained exasperatedly while he motioned across the table at his boyfriend, whose face and hands were covered in layer melted chocolate ice cream.

 

“Quit exaggerating,” Snafu said before he licked a small pool of ice cream off of the side of his hand.

 

“Fine; it’s a quarter of a cone,” Eugene amended before he sighed, grabbed a handful of napkins out of the dispenser that sat in the center of their small metal table, and tossed them at Snafu. “Regardless of how much it is, you’re still a mess and you need to clean yourself up.”

 

“If it bothers you so much,” he grumbled under his breath before he accepted the napkins from Eugene.

 

Truth be told, Snafu did look a little endearing, covered in chocolate ice cream or he would have if today was the first time Eugene had watched his boyfriend let a scope of ice cream melt all over him. However, since today was about the eighth time Eugene had seen such a sight in the past two weeks, it had lost some of its novelty.

 

Ever since school let out for the summer, Eugene and Snafu had been spending every moment possible with each other; this time next week Eugene was going to be back at his parent’s house in Mobile, Alabama. Sure, there were plans for everyone to meet up at Burgie’s for the fourth of July but that still meant more than a month of separation.

 

Eugene and Snafu spent their days escaping the heat, either by taking shelter inside one of their air-condition apartments or by cooling themselves off at the local ice cream parlor. Twice they had taken the drive back up to the beach where they spent two memorable days together. Some days Burgie or Sidney joined them but for the most part, the two of them were temporarily attached at the hip, neither dissuaded by their best friends’ teasing about their separation anxiety.

 

“Better?” Snafu asked with a pout as he piled up the crumped, soiled napkins in the center of the table.

 

Eugene eyed his boyfriend’s still ice cream covered fingers and the small splotches of ice cream that clung determinedly to the corners of Snafu’s mouth. Eugene wanted to feel irritation at his boyfriend’s perpetual messiness but any aggravation he felt was fleeting and was quickly replaced by affection.

 

_Why am I in love with this mess_ , Eugene asked himself before he sighed and felt himself smile.

 

“Almost,” Eugene said. “You missed a spot.”

 

“Where?” Snafu huffed in annoyance.

 

“Right here,” Eugene said before he leaned over the top of the table and kissed Snafu’s ice cream covered lips.

 

“That was really sappy, Eugene,” Snafu said once Eugene broke away; Eugene couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t sound too upset by it.

 

“I have a limited amount of time to be sappy, Mer, deal with it.”

 


	37. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where are you guys now?” Snafu asked, his voice sounding a little distorted through the phone.
> 
> “We’re just outside of Tallahassee right now,” Eugene answered as he leaned against the side of his truck. “Figured I’d call and see how you’re progressing.”

* * *

“ _Where are you guys now?”_ Snafu asked, his voice sounding a little distorted through the phone.

 

“We’re just outside of Tallahassee right now,” Eugene answered as he leaned against the side of his truck. “We just stopped to stretch our legs. Figured I’d call and see how you’re progressing.”

 

 _“I’m not_ ,” Snafu declared.

 

“Why not?”

 

 _“Because I fucking hate packing. And Burgie’s out on a date with Flo so he ain’t here to kick my ass into shape,”_ Snafu explained.

 

“Mer, you’re supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning. Do you even have anything packed yet?”

 

_“I threw all my dirty clothes into my close hamper so I guess you can count that as something that’s packed.”_

 

“ _Mer_ ,” Eugene said in exasperation as he watched Sidney emerge from the rest stop bathroom. “Your mom is gonna be pissed if you don’t make it back tomorrow.”

 

_“I’ll tell her I had car trouble or something. That’ll buy me another day.”_

 

“Mer, if you get on her bad side she’s not gonna let you go to Burgie’s for the fourth.”

 

_“So? I’ll just sneak out in the middle of the night and drive there myself. I’ve done it before.”_

 

“Burgie ain’t gonna let you get away with this shit, Mer,” Eugene reminded him with a shake of his head. “If he gets back from his date and sees that you haven’t packed anything you know you’re gonna regret it; you of all people should know better than to piss off Burgie.”

 

 _“Fine,”_ Snafu huffed. _“I_ guess _I could put a little more effort into this shit.”_

 

“Well, I gotta get back on the road, Mer,” Eugene said as he watched Sidney climb into the drivers’ seat of the car and give him a questioning look. “I’m gonna call you at the next stop and if you haven’t made any progress, I’m gonna call Burgie and have him deal with you directly.”

 

_“No need to threaten, Eugene. I’m on it.”_

 

“Good. Talk to you later.”

 

_“Uh-huh.”_

 

“Love you,” Eugene said as he climbed back into the car and ignored Sidney while he made juvenile faces at him.

 

_“Love you too, Eugene.”_

 

* * *

 

**Eugene: How’s your day going?**

 

Snafu winced as he received a painful tug to the side of his head but didn’t look up from his phone. He knew the best way to deal with his sisters was to ignore them; if he didn’t pay them any attention they’d eventually get tired and leave him alone.

 

**It’s hell.**

**Eugene: Why?**

 

“ _Merriell_!” Leona-Marie shouted into Snafu’s ear, even though she was positioned less than an inch away from his ear. “Momma said you _had_ to play with us!”

 

 **Babysitting detail** , Snafu replied while he stayed firmly in his place on the living room floor, despite the two twelve-year olds who were currently trying to tug him into motion.

 

“Merriell if you don’t move right now I’m gonna call momma and tell her you’re not taking care of us!” Leola-May exclaimed while she tugged at the sleeve of his t-shirt with all of her might. “I’m gonna tell her you were texting your _boyfriend_ all day!”

 

**Eugene: Yikes. Sorry.**

 

 _“Merriell_!”

 

“What the hell do you guys even need me to do anyways?” Snafu snapped at his younger twin sisters, feeling much too annoyed to ignore them any longer. “You’re fucking _twelve_. You don’t _actually_ need a babysitter. I’m just here to make sure you don’t burn down the damn house while mom and dad are out. Go play in your rooms or something, god damn.”

 

**Don’t be. Not your fault.**

**Hope your days going better than mine**

 

“You owe like five bucks to the swear jar, Merri,” Leona-Marie said, her tiny voice carrying a slightly threatening air to it.

 

“What are you gonna do? Tell mom?” Snafu sneered.

 

**Eugene: It’s going okay but I have to go to some boring party with my parents later. Think I’d rather be babysitting than go to the party**

 

“Maybe we are,” Leola-May countered.

 

“Go ahead and tell her,” Snafu shrugged before he returned to his cell phone. “But fat chance of me ever taking you runts to get ice cream again.”

 

**How bad could this party be that you’d rather deal with the twin headaches?**

 

“ _That’s not fair_!” Leola-May exclaimed while she stomped her foot for emphasis

 

“ _Merri you can’t do that!”_

 

**Eugene: suit and tie. Hours of dull conversation with middle-aged people. Not even going to be decent food there. After an hour I’m going to be desperate for some noise.**

 

“Life ain’t fair and I can do what I want because I’m an adult with my own place,” Snafu explained flatly. “Deal with it.”

 

**I could call and create some emergency for you to go handle in the middle of the party if you wanted.**

 

“You’re mean,” one of his sister’s cried.

 

“Merriell, you _promised_ you’d play with us,” the other sister pouted, looking close to tears, which Snafu knew were fake. “You can’t not take us to get ice cream anymore!”

 

**Eugene: Nah, can’t. My mom already doesn’t want me to go to Burgie’s for the fourth so I need to do everything to get on her good side. Appreciate the offer though**

 

“Adults break promises all the time, deal with it,” he persisted apathetically. “And you got legs. _Walk_ to get ice cream.”

 

**That really sucks. Is Sid getting dragged along too?**

 

“ _Plleeeeaaaseee_ , Merri,” Leola-May begged as she got on her knees and brought her face close to her brother.

 

“Just take us to get ice cream and we won’t bother you for the rest of the day,” Leona-Marie insisted.

 

“We won’t even tell momma about you swearing. We promise.”

 

“And we don’t _break_ promises.”

**Eugene: Unfortunately no. But I’ll be okay**

 

_“Please?”_

 

“Fucking Christ,” Snafu growled as he looked up from his phone and found his sister’s faces only an inch or two away from his. “Okay. I’ll take you guys to get ice cream if you promise to leave me the hell alone for the rest of the day _and_ tomorrow.”

 

“We promise!” they exclaimed in unison.

 

“And if you go back on this shit I’m telling mom it was one of you who threw up all over the bathroom floor two weeks ago.”

 

“But that was you!” Leola-May exclaimed indignantly.

 

“Hey, that’s the offer, take it or leave it.”

 

“Fine,” his sisters huffed, defeated. “But we wanna go right now so you gotta tell your boyfriend ‘bye’.”

 

“Fine.”

 

**Gotta go deal with the brats for a bit. Text me during the party. That is if your mom doesn’t take your phone away**

**Eugene: <3**

 

* * *

 

 _“I’m driving to Burgie’s on the first and then we’re gonna drive to the cabin the next morning,”_ Snafu explained. “ _You guys are coming on the second right?”_

 

“Yep,” Eugene answered from where he laid on top of his bed. “Had to fight my mom but she’s allowing it. My dad talked her into it.”

 

_“Funny how even though you’re an adult with your own place you mommy still bosses you around.”_

 

“Like yours doesn’t do the same to you,” Eugene retorted.

 

_“So are you guys driving over or what?”_

 

“We’re flying,” Eugene answered. “Almost a ten hour drive? At that point it’s cheaper to fly. We should be there by Monday night. Airport’s only an hour away from the cabin.”

 

 _“An hour away huh? Well, maybe you won’t have to pay for a taxi. Maybe someone’ll come pick you up,”_ Snafu said slowly.

 

“Hmm, do I happen to know this person?”

 

 _“Yeah. It’s Burgie_ ,” Snafu answered bluntly.

 

“Knew it. So dependably our Burgie.”

 

_“Yeah well, he might be busy setting shit up or whatever… so you might get stuck with me. Hope that’s okay.”_

 

“Well, I guess I’ll deal with it,” Eugene said as calmly as possible while he tried to ignore the fuzzy feeling he got at the idea of seeing Snafu again so soon. “You’re better than nothing I guess.”

 

_“I get that line a lot.”_

 

“…I can’t wait to see you again,” Eugene admitted after a pause; sure it had only been a little over a month since Eugene and Snafu were together but he felt an ache in his chest whenever he talked to him.

 

_“Me neither. Just another week.”_

 

“One more week.”

 

* * *

 

As Eugene and Sidney walked out of the terminal, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it back on. A moment after the cell phone came to life, he received a notification for three new text messages.

**Mer: Text me when your plane lands**

**Mer: Waiting outside**

**Mer: Did you flight get delayed or something? What’s taking you so long?**

 

“Apparently our rides here already,” Eugene said as he turned to Sidney with a smile.

 

“You know I can go hide in the bathroom or something for a few minutes if you want,” Sidney suggested in a teasing tone. “Give you some time alone.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Burgie’s here too, Sid,” Eugene reminded him while he ducked his head in an attempt to hide the blush that covered his face; he focused on his cell phone instead of his best friend’s smirking face. 

 

**We’re in the terminal now. Where are you?**

 

“Well maybe Burgie would like to join me.”

 

Eugene rolled his eyes and gave his best friend a quick shove to the shoulders before his cell phone buzzed with a new text message.

 

**Mer: Just outside the front doors**

 

**ETA five minutes**

 

Eugene stowed his phone back into his pocket and continued on through the busy airport. Every calm, evenly paced step he took was almost painful; he wanted to run, he didn’t want to have one more minute between him and Snafu. Somehow, someway Eugene managed to keep himself calm enough to keep him in step with Sidney. Once he was close enough to the front doors that he could make out Snafu’s figure, working through a cigarette while someone he assumed was Burgie stood nearby, all restraint was lost. Next thing Eugene knew he was running.

 

Snafu turned just in time to see Eugene take off toward him. Snafu pitched his half smoked cigarette onto the ground, opened the doors to the airport, and rushed inside. A moment later he and Eugene met in the middle and Snafu wasted no time in pulling Eugene in for a tight hug. A moment later, grinning from ear to ear, Eugene pulled away slightly, just enough so that he could look at Snafu’s face.

 

“Hi,” Eugene grinned.

 

“Hi.”


	38. Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Gotta say I’m impressed, Burgie. This places looks way better than the way Shelton described it.”
> 
> “What did you tell them, Snaf? That is was a dilapidated shack?”
> 
> “I said that it looked like a fucking cabin. Ya know, four walls, a roof, how else ya supposed to describe a cabin?”

* * *

“There she is,” Burgie announced as he pulled the car slowly up the gravel drive.

 

At the end of the gravel road sat a simple two story log cabin; a porch wrapped around the front and a number of lawn chairs littered the space on the porch.

 

“Gotta say I’m impressed, Burgie,” Sidney said as he leaned out the window to get a better look at the cabin. “This places looks way better than the way Shelton described it.”

 

“What did you tell them, Snaf?” Burgie asked as he cut the engine and turned around in his seat to look at his best friend. “That is was a dilapidated shack?”

 

“I said that it looked like a fucking cabin,” Snafu retorted dryly. “Ya know, four walls, a roof, how else ya supposed to describe a cabin?”

 

“How about we try to wait until we at least get inside before we start bickering,” Eugene suggested. “Come on, I need to stretch my legs.”

 

As the four of them climbed out of the car, the front door of the cabin burst open and out came Flo, smiling brightly.

 

“Ah, perfect timing!” Flo exclaimed as she walked towards them. “I just threw the burgers on the grill.”

 

“Just threw them on?” Burgie asked with a grin as he pulled Florence closer to him. “How could you be more perfect?”

 

“Maybe if she had planned it so that they were already done,” Snafu declared bluntly, which earned him a slightly rougher than necessary shove from Burgie.

 

“Eugene, I don’t know how you stand him,” Burgie said as they began to walk towards the cabin, still arm in arm with Flo.

 

“I’ll ask you the same question, Burgie, seeing as you probably spend as much time with him as I do during the year,” Eugene countered.

 

“Wow, you guys sure are making me feel loved,” Snafu said dryly.

 

“Okay, no fighting, we all just got here,” Flo hushed them as she ushered them all inside the cabin. “Romus, how about you show them around, let them get settled and I’ll check on the food.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Burgie agreed as he closed the front door to the cabin behind him. “So, this is gentlemen.”

 

Eugene paused and took in the cabins interior. There was a kitchen off the left side of the cabin with a few couches from the eighties set off the right along with an ancient television set. A battered wooden table that sat eight was the centerpiece of the room. The Texas flag hung proudly behind the television and a mounted buck’s head hung over the doorway that opened into the hallway. The windows were all open and had their curtain’s open, letting some light into the dim, wood covered room.

 

Eugene, Sidney, and Snafu followed after Burgie down the hall as he continued on the tour.

 

“Bathroom’s right here,” Burgie informed them as he pushed the door on his immediate left; Eugene glanced inside and found a medium sized, outdated bathroom. Burgie then reaches right and pushes the door across from the bathroom open. “There’s a bedroom here. Sidney, you’d probably wanna stay in here.”

 

“Not unless you wanna cuddle up with Sledge and me, Phillips,” Snafu smirked as Eugene and Sidney glanced in the room.

 

Inside the bedroom were two sets of bunk beds, each one set up against the opposite wall with an old area rug thrown in between them.

 

“Lucky you,” Snafu commented. “You can pick you bed before Jay and Leyden get here”

 

The other two friends were set to arrive later that night; they would have to go back to the airport but everyone agreed two trips was better than leaving Eugene and Sidney to sit around the airport for hours waiting for them.

 

“Looks decent,” Sidney shrugged before he walked inside and tossed his bag on one of the bottom bunks.

 

“Mattress is surprisingly comfortable,” Burgie added.

 

“Yeah well with the way we’ll be drinking, I could probably sleep perfectly fine on the floor,” Sidney pointed out.

 

“Fair point.”

 

“Hey,” Snafu said quietly as he gently tapped Eugene on the shoulder to get his attention. “Come on, I’ll show you where we’ll be staying.”

 

Eugene couldn’t help but smirk when Snafu ducked his head slightly, unable to look Eugene in the eyes while he said ‘we’.  He didn’t tease him though, instead Eugene followed Snafu down to the end of the hallway.

 

“Burgie and Flo’re staying in there,” Snafu muttered as he gestured to the door on the left side of the hall. He then jerked his head at the closed doorway on the right side of the hall. “We’re here.”

 

Without another word, Snafu pushed open the door and together they walked into the room. It was smaller than the other room with the bunk beds and there was a sloping ceiling that prevented any bunk beds to be placed in this room. Instead there were two twin beds, which Eugene assumed at one point had been pushed onto opposite sides of the room but now stood pushed together to form one large bed.

 

“Hmm, well aren’t you sure of yourself,” Eugene teased as he motioned to the combined beds.

 

“Well if you’re really opposed, we could put the beds back to how they were,” Snafu said with his arms folded over his chest.

 

“I don’t know. I’m willing it to give it a chance,” Eugene said slowly as he moved toward the bed. Eugene dropped his bag on the floor before he turned and sat down on the edge of the bed. “We’ll have test it out of course.”

 

“It’s only fair,” Snafu drawled as he pushed the door shut behind him, smile pulling at his lips.

 

“Come here,” Eugene instructed quietly, eyes locked with Snafu’s.

 

There were three quick steps and the next thing Eugene knew he had a lapful of Snafu and he was lying flat with his back pressed against the bed. A moment later and Snafu’s mouth was on his and Eugene’s fingers were tangled in his curly hair. Just as Eugene felt Snafu’s cool fingers push up the hem of his t-shirt, there was a pounding knock on the door.

 

_“Hey! Whatever it is that you’re doing, cut it out in there!”_ Burgie called through the door. “ _You’ll have alone time later! Now’s family time. Get your asses out here.”_

 

As the sound of Burgie’s footsteps faded down the hall, Snafu rested his forehead on Eugene’s chest, sighing loudly as he did it.

 

“Nothing gets past our Burgie,” Eugene said with a small laugh, too comfortable and happy to be truly annoyed.

 

“You ain’t kidding.”

 

“He does have a point. We came all this way to hang out with friends.”

 

“Yeah well if he was a real friend he’d give us ten minutes,” Snafu grumbled into Eugene’s t-shirt.

 

“Hey,” Eugene said quietly as he moved one of his hands from Snafu’s hair to his chin and nudged Snafu so that he’d tilt his head up to look at him. “We’ll have time later. Too be continued?”

 

Smirking, Snafu tilted his head down and gave Eugene a quick but soft peck on the lips.

 

“Too be continued.”

 


	39. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t want to wake up, he didn’t want to move from this moment, he wished he could stay there all day.

* * *

The bed he was lying in was unfamiliar but the arm wrapped his waist could only be more familiar if it was his own. Sun streamed in through a gap in between the bottom of the shade and the top of the window sill. The ceiling fan spun shakily over the bed, creating a soft clicking noise, while the old air condition unit hummed and groaned softly. Eugene could feel himself slowly transferring out of the realm of sleep and into the world of consciousness but he fought it; he didn’t want to wake up, he didn’t want to move from this moment, he wished he could stay there all day. Vacation and friends be dammed, this right here was all he needed. Feeling content, Eugene moved himself closer to Snafu; he couldn’t help but smile when he felt the arm Snafu had thrown over his waist tighten protectively.

 

A nose nuzzled the back of Eugene’s neck and then suddenly there were warm, soft lips pressing at base of his neck and point where his shoulders and neck connected. Snafu’s grip on him shifted and then Eugene’s body slowly began to roll onto his back; he didn’t fight it. Once his back was firmly pressed against the pillowed top of the mattress Eugene felt Snafu’s lips press against his own and a content sigh escaped him as his fingers found Snafu’s thick curls once again.

 

There was no rush or sense of urgency. Every movement was slowed by sleep and complete relaxation. With Eugene’s eyes still firmly shut, he felt as if he could easily fall back asleep like this.

 

Eugene easily parted his legs to make room so that Snafu’s right leg could slid easily between his thighs. Snafu’s fingers slid slowly up Eugene’s sides and pushed away the hem of Eugene’s t-shirt. Eugene squirmed slightly when Snafu’s callused thumbs lightly swiped across his ribs and Snafu grinned evilly against Eugene’s mouth; Eugene gave Snafu’s hair a quick tug in response.

 

They parted only briefly so that Snafu could pull Eugene’s t-shirt up and over his head before he tossed it over his shoulder without a care about where it landed. Snafu propped himself up with an elbow on either side of Eugene’s head while Eugene moved his hands so that they slowly traced up and down Snafu’s side.

 

There was a soft, lazy kiss before Snafu pressed his forehead against Eugene’s and Eugene finally opened his eyes.

 

“’Mornin’,” Snafu purred lazily.

 

“Good morning,” Eugene responded happily as he stretched out slightly underneath Snafu. “Mmm, what time is it?”

 

Before Snafu could answer there was a bang and then a loud crashing noise of the bedroom door smacking into the nearby wall.

 

“Rise and shine, assholes,” Bill declared happily from where he stood in the doorway. “We got a full day ahead of us and you ain’t gonna waste it lying in bed all day.”

 

As Bill’s cackling laugh traveled down the hallway, Eugene tightened his grip on Snafu, whose eyes suddenly turned murderous.

 

“Mer, no,” Eugene warned, his sleepy haze suddenly evaporated. “He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”

 

“Yeah well, any rise I had is gone thanks to that asshole,” Snafu grumbled as he glared at the open doorway.

 

“Mer,” Eugene sighed as he reached up, placed a hand on his cheek, and made his boyfriend look back at him. “Relax.”

 

“I was trying to before that gremlin interrupted us,” Snafu growled. “Ya know I’m fucking sick of him fucking with us just for shits and giggles-”

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Eugene said softly as he moved his hand from Snafu’s cheek to run through his hair. “It’s okay.”

 

“It’s fucking not okay, Gene. I’m not fine with letting that asshole get away with shit-”

 

“I’m not talking about letting him get away with shit, Mer. I’m talking about getting back at him,” Eugene clarified. “We’re here for three more days. We got time to come up with something. We can’t let Bill off that easily.”

 

“This is why I love you,” Snafu said seriously before he tilted his head back down and kissed Eugene.

 

Eugene smiled while as he felt things returning to how they had been before Bill’s interruption. Snafu’s mouth traveled back down Eugene’s neck and then across his shoulders and collarbones before he-

 

“Okay if you guys do not get moving soon we _will_ turn the hose on you,” Sidney’s voice threatened from the doorway. “Burgie and Flo conceded after our second warning, hopefully you guys will too, we won’t warn you again.”

 

Eugene turned his head in time to watch his best friend turn and walk down the hallway while he felt irritation fill every cell of his body.

 

“We need to lock that door for the rest of this trip.”

 

“I fucking hate our friends.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sporadic Updates to be expected


End file.
